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ENTERED. NOVEMBER -1 . 
PASSED, MARCH 3. ' 
RAISED, AUGI.'ST 4, 



r)752 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



Centennial Memorial 
Exercises 

Mount Vernon, December 14, 1899 



Record by the M. W. Grand Lodge of Colorado 
A. F. & A. M. 



DENVER. COLORADO: 

The W. F. Robinson Printing Co , Printers. 

1903. 



12 



THE L'tSAHV OF 
CONCHESS, 


1 -vr Copiui Rewivor 


OCT 12 1903 


Co|>>ii£nt tntiy 


CLASS XXo. No 


COPY B. 









OF 

WORSHIPFUL BROTHER GEORGE WASHINGTON, 

INSCRIBED ON THE 

CENTENNIAL OF HIS DEATH 

BY THE 

M. W. GRAND LODGE, A. F. & A. M. 

OF THE 

STATE OF COLORADO ; 

WHICH WAS ADMITTED TO THE 

UNION OF STATES 

ON THE 

CENTENNIAL OF THE DECLARATION 

OF INDEPENDENCE 

WHICH WAS MADE EFFECTIVE 

BY WASHINGTON 

THROUGH HIS PRACTICE 

OF THE 

VARIOUS MASONIC VIRTUES. 



Bnterod accordiog to the Act of Congress by the M, W. Qrand Lodge 
of Colorado, A. F. & A. M., in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at 
Washington, in the year 1903. 



The M. W. Grand Lodge of Colorado 
A. F. & A. M. 



GRAND MASTER'S OFFICE. 



Glenwood Springs, Colo., March 28, 1903. 

RoQES W. WooDBUET, Denver, Colo. : 

Dear Brother Woodbury — I have just received a letter from Past 
Grand Master A. A. Burnand, in which he advises that suitable likenesses 
of the Colorado representatives to the Washington Centennial Memorial 
exercises at Washington's tomb be published in our memorial volume. I 
fully concur with him and will as Grand Master instruct you to please see 
that suitable cuts or halftones are procured of the Colorado representatives, 
that is, the five who were at Mount Vernon. The expense at best cannot be 
great, and I regard this volume as one that will reflect great credit on this 
Grand Jurisdiction. 

With best wishes for your health, I am, 

Fraternally yours, 

Marshall H. Dean, 

Grand Master. 




ROGEIt WILLIAMS WOODBURY. 

Past Grand Master of Colorado. 

Ohairmaii Colorado WashiiiBton Centennial Memorial Committee. 

Died July 11th. inOS. 



Introduction. 



The Masonic Memorial Exercises which took place at Mount Vernon 
on the centennial anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George 
Washington, were formally inaugurated by the ^Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge of Colorado in 1893, in response to a recommendation in the address 
of Grand Master William D. Wright, made on the suggestion and request 
of Past Grand Master E. W. Woodbury. 

The official recommendation was referred to the Committee on Juris- 
prudence, consisting of Past Gi'and Masters R. W. Woodbury, James H. 
Peabody and William D. Todd. This committee reported at the same 
Grand Communication in favor of the proposition, and presented a method 
of procedure. E.xecution of the same was entrusted to a committee to serve 
until the close of the proposed memorial exercises, and Past Grand Masters 
R. W. Woodbury, William D. Wright and William D. Todd were ap- 
pointed as SDcli committee, who reported progress to the Grand Lodge from 
year to year. 

The first circular of the committee was sent to all Grand Masters and 
Grand Secretaries in the United States. They were requested to recom- 
mend the fonnal approval of their Grand Lodges, and to appoint commit- 
tees to report to, and co-operate with, the Colorado committee. 

The irregular dates at wliicli the various Grand Lodges assemble made 
progress slow, and a year elapsed before all had convened. Quite a num- 
ber of Grand Masters at once gave hearty and patriotic endorsement. Some 
neglected it until another year. From the Grand Masters it went to Grand 



8 ^be iClasbincjton fIDasonic 



Lodge committees for consideration. Some approved and committees were 
promptly appointed. Others advised delay. One or two, and perhnps 
more, disapproved. 

Then the idea nm the gauntlet of praise or ridicule of the various 
Committees on Foreign Corresjwndence. 

After many discouragements, several circulars and scores of letters, 
the co-operation of Grand Lodges was slowly obtained, until, when the com- 
mittee had been engaged three years at their work, enough Grand Lodges 
had acquiesced to ensure a national character to the memorial exercises on 
the lines originally proposed. 

All the preliminary work having been accomplished, and it having 
been detennined that the exercises could only take place at Mount Vernon, 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia was then formally invited to arrange all de- 
tails, with Colorado guaranteed as a faithful suppoiter to the end. The 
invitation was accepted, with special acknowledgements to the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado for its inception of the Memorial, and for the services it 
had performed. 

The Colorado committee continued in frequent correspondence witli 
the Virginia committee, not only in the raising of money for the Virginia 
committee, but in an advisory capacity generally. 

The Memorial Exercises were perfected and carried out by the Grand 
Lodge of Virginia substantially as outlined by the Colorado committee 
early in their work. 

Because of the national character of the exercises, and the conceded 
fact tliat they memorialized "the largest figure in all merely human his- 
tory," and the almost certainty that they will bo repeated by untold genera- 
tions as long as Freemasonry continues to exist, have impelled the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado to round up its work by putting in imperishable form 
the principal records pertaining to its inception, progress and culmination, 



Centennial flDemorial 



and also the exercises which took phice in Colorado simultaneously with 
the national exercises at Mount Vernon. It is to be regretted that a ma- 
jority of the Colorado Lodges failed to report their memorial proceedings 
to the Grand Secretary; and it is also to be regretted that the requests of 
this committee for copies of the addresses delivered before local Lodges 
were not all responded to. This volume contains all the addresses that 
were received by the committee or the Grand Secretary. 

The correspondence carried on by the committee is mostly omitted. 
While of local interest, as showing the volume and scope of the work of the 
committee, it does not possess such a general and permanent interest as to 
justify its being perpetuated in this volume. 

EoGEE W. Woodbury, 

Chairman. 



Preliminary Preparations 



and 



General Arrangements 



Centennial flDemorial i? 



Washington as a Mason. 



A detailed account of tlie Masonic incidents of Washington's life is of 
intense interest to Freemasons, but a few facts only can be presented in this 
book. 

He was initiated in Fredericksburg Lodge, "Virginia, on the 4th of 
November, 1752, a few months before he reached the age of twenty-one. 
He was passed on the 3rd of ]\Iarch following, and raised on the 4th of 
August. The records of the Lodge showing the above facts are still pre- 
served, as is also the Bible upon which he was obligated. 

After the War for Independence the Lodge at Alexandria, then work- 
ing under the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, elected to become subordinate 
to the new Grand Lodge of Virginia, and petitioned the latter for a charter, 
witli George Washington as Worshipful Master. On the 28th of April, 
17S8, the charter was duly issued to "Alexandria Ko. 22," and contained 
the following phrase: * * * "do hereby constitute and appoint our 
illustrious and well-beloved brother George Washington, Esq., late General 
and Commander in Chief of the forces of the United States of America," 
etc. 

On the 20th of December in the same year Washington was re-elected 
Master for the year commencing with St. John's Day, December 27, 1788. 

After his death it was the desire of the members that the Lodge name 
should be changed so as to embrace that of their illustrious first Master, 
whereupon the name was officially changed to "Alexandria Washington 
Lodffe No. 22." 



14 ^bc ^asbtiiflton flDasonlc 

The most conspicuous event of Washington's Masonic record was the 
hiving of tho corner-stone of the National Capitol at Wiishington, on the 
18th of September, 1793. He was then President of the United States, 
and acted :is ilasUn* n\xm the invitjition of Dr. Dick, then Master of Alex- 
andria Lodge. 

There is no doubt but that in tbe minds of his Masonic compeers after 
the war he was regarded as the Great Patron of the fraternity of America, 
and many were led to believe that he had held official rank as General 
Grand Master. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and others sought to 
create a general grand mastership and elevate Washington to that office, 
and a medal was struck two years before his deatli, bearing his bust and 
name upon its face, with Masonic emblems and the letters "G. W. G. G. M." 
upon the obverse. 

* * * The story of Washington as a Mason must now be left, 
tliough with reluctance, and the formal record of tlie inception, progress 
and culmination of the Centennial Memorinl Exorcises at his tomb, begun. 



FROM THE ADDRESS OF M. W. WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, GRAND 
MASTER OF COLORADO 1893. 

The story of "the days that tried men's souls" is a record of which 
Masonry may well be proud. The first overt act of resistance to taxation 
was when in the twilight of a December day in 1773, a band of patriots, 
disguised as Indians, threw overboard the tea in Boston harbor. Masonic 
records of colonial times are said to establish the fact that the act was com- 
mitted by a body of Masons, who left a ilasonio Lodge room for that pui^ 
pose. 




WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, 

Past Grand Master of Colorado. 

Member Colorado Washington Centennial Memorial Committee. 



Centennial fIDemortal 15 

The famous midnight ride of Paul Revere was in April, 1775. His 
cry of alarm aroused the farmers to prepare for the battle of Lexington, 
the first conflict of the War of Independence. Longfellow writes: 



"And yet, through the gloom and the light, 
The fate of a nation was riding that night; 
And the spark struck out by that steed in his flight. 
Kindled the land into flame with its heat." 



He did his work and served the great cause with freedom, fervency 
and zeal, for Paul Revere was a Mason, and afterwards became Grand Mas- 
ter of Masons in the State of Massachusetts. 

July 4, 1776, after a long and solemn debate over the consequences of 
the act, the members of the first Continental Congress, pledging to each 
other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honors, attached their sig- 
natures to a simple scroll. That scroll was the Declaration of American 
Independence. It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, a Mason. * * * 

Benjamin Franklin, then Master of a Masonic Lodge in Philadelphia, 
in many respects the wisest and greatest man of this day, was a member 
of the committee afterwards appointed to draft tie Constitution of the 
United States. 

The first President of the Republic, the immortal Washington, was a 
Mason. He took the oati of office witli his hand resting upin a Bible, 
which had just been taken from a Masonic altar. As Grand Master of 
Masons just a hundred years ago yesterday, he laid the cornerstone of the 
eapitol at Washington. His pictured form, clothed masonically, looks 
do\vn upon us from its honored station just above the Grand Master's chair 
as I now address you. It decorates the walls of nearly every Masonic 
Lodge in the land. By imiversal consent of civilized men, he is the largest 
figure in all merely human history, and his name stands first upon the roll 



1 6 ^be Masbington flDasonic 

of Masonry's illustrious dead. Acting now iipon a suggestion originally 
made to me by Past Grand Master R. W. Woodbury, Chairman of our 
Committee on Jurisprudence, I respectfully recommend tlio appointment 
of a committee to report at tJiis session, with a view to the holding of na- 
tional Masonic memorial services at the tomb of Washington, at Mount 
Vernon, on the centennial anniversary of his death, December 14, 1899. 
The report of such committee, together with the action of this Grand 
Lodge thereon, would then be presented to all other Grand Lodges in the 
United States, for such action as they may think best. Should this sug- 
gestion happen to meet with their approval, as such Grand Lodges meet 
annually, it would not give too much time in which to properly consult and 
make suitable arrangements. 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON JURISPRUDENCE. 

This portion of the Grand Master's address was referred to the Com- 
mittee on Jurisprudence, consisting of Past Grand Masters E. W. Wood- 
bury, Chairman ; James H. Peabody and William D. Todd, which commit- 
tee reported as follows : 

Denver, Colo., September 20, 1893. 
To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge: 

The Standing Committee on Jurisprudence, to which was referred the 
suggestions and recommendations of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, 
respectfully reports that it has considered that part relating to a proper 
memorial observance of the centennial of the death of Worshipful Brother 
George Washington, which took place on the 14th day of December, 1799. 
The committee believes that public recognition of the services and charac- 
ters of the great and good has a salutary influence upon the lives of others, 
particularly the young, stimulating them to emulation, exalting their own 
efforts, and ennobling their characters. A due observance of the centen- 



Centennial flDemorial 17 

nial of Washingtou's death would revive public interest in, and disseminate 
knowledge of, his virtues, and in the pioneer work of the fathers of the Re- 
public who laid the foundations of our national government. 

We ai'e taught, as Masons, to be true to the government of the country 
under which we live, and in a broader sense than mere loyalty, we should be 
true to the principles which underlie its system. These principles were in- 
stilled into the American heart by fortitude, prudence, justice, hardship, 
adversity, perseverance, unselfishness and toil, and the best manhood to-day 
comes from the same sources of strength. As citizens, we cannot too often 
present this truth to those who are striving for fame and influence through 
paths which are less noble, and we cannot present it through a grander char- 
acter than that Master Mason on whom was bestowed the loving title of 
"First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Country- 
men." 

Tens of thousands of good men have had their favorable attention 
directed to Masonry because it embraced principles and truths which were 
deemed worthy of the loyalty of George Washington, and we are proud that 
it was so in his day, and is so still. 

We believe the Grand Lodges of the United States will like to unite 
for tlie pTirpose of doing honor to his memory and that the proposition 
thereto will be especially appropriate from the Grand Lodge of the State 
which was admitted to the American Union on the hundredth anniversary 
of the independence of tlie colonies, which Washington did so much to 
secure. 

We therefore approve the Grand Master's suggestion, and recommend 
the following, viz. : 

That a committee of tliree be appointed to present the subject to the 
several Grand Masters and Grand Lodges of the United States and request : 



i8 ^be MasblnQton flDagontc 

First. Tlie appointment of a committee of one from each Grand 
Jurisdiction, with one alternate, to serve through all the arrangements, in 
order to save confusion by annual changes. 

Second. Tliat the committee from this Grand Lodge arrange by cor- 
respondence with the committees from sister Grand Tx)dges for a place of 
meeting of said committee at some early date subsequent to the next annual 
Grand Communication of each of said Grand Lodges. 

Third. That the committee from this Grand Lodge be recommended 
to suggest memorial services and suitable addresses at the tomb of Wash- 
ington at Mount Vemon, at which all the Grand Masters of the United 
States be present, with their subordinate officers and other members. 

Fourth. That the committee representing the Grand Lodges report 
in detail their recommendations for the memorial to their respective Grand 
Lodges for approval before the same be actually undertaken. 

Because of the number of Grand Lodges and the irregular periods of 
their annual Communications, this process will consume three or four years 
at least, whicli will leave barely two years in which to perfect the final ar- 
rangements. 

Fraternally submitted, 

K. W. Woodbury, 
J. H. Peabody, 
W. D. Todd, 
Committee on Jurisprudence. 

The report of the committee was imanimously adopted and Past 
Grand Masters R. W. Woodbury, W. D. Wright and W. D. Todd were ap- 
pointed on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Colorado to present the matter to 
other Grand Lodges and Grand Masters of other Grand Jurisdictions. 



Centennial HDemorial 19 

FIRST CIRCULAR. 

The foregoing report, with the action of the Grand Lodge of Colorado 
thereon, was subsequently printed in circular form, certified by the Grand 
Secretary and forwarded to all Grand Masters and Grand Secretaries in 
the United States, accompanied by the following introductory circular: 

Denvee, Colo., September 30, 1S93. 
Dear Sir and Host Worshipful Brother: 

In accordance with the instructions contained in the foregoing extracts 
from the proceedings of tlie Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. 
M., of Colorado, at the annual Grand Communication held in this city the 
present month, we have the honor and the pleasure to make official presenta- 
tion of the same to you. We entertain the hope that tlie subject matter will 
be deemed worthy of your approval, and that your Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge will join by ordering a committee in accordance with tlie plan pro- 
posed. To facilitate a meeting of the General Committee, which would 
ordinarily be difficult because of the uncertainty as to when it will be filled 
by the several Grand Lodges, the committee from Colorado has thought it 
would be satisfactory if appointments should be made known to them ; and 
when all Grand Lodges shall have acted, they will communicate with all 
the members, and call a meeting at a central point for organization. Will 
you please request your Grand Secretary to advise the ciairman of this 
committee of tlie action of your Grand Lodge hereon, with the name and 
postoffice address of the appointee named thereby, should such an appoint- 
ment be made. 

Fraternally yours, 

K. W. WoODBtlKY. 

W. D. Wright. 
Wm. D. Todd. 



20 ZEbe TKIlasbinaton flDasonic 

SECOND CIRCULAR. 

Over a year elapsed, devoted to personal and official correspondence, 
when, under date of March 15, 1895, another circular was issued, copying 
the first and closing with the following: 

Since the adoption of the foregoing report, a sufficient number of the 
Grand Lodges of America have taken favorable action thereon to warrant 
the committee appointed by the Grand Lodge of Colorado taking the second 
step. No information has been received by this committee or by the 
Grand Secretary of Colorado, of adverse action by any Grand Lodge. It 
is therefore presumable that all will in time gladly join in suitable memo- 
rial observances of that Mason, who was "first in war, first in peace, and 
first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

As foreseen upon the initiation of the project, the irregular periods of 
meeting of the several Grand Lodges necessarily consumes much time in 
preliminary arrangements, and at least a couple of years more will be re- 
quired for the several Grand Lodges to consider and approve the plans to be 
presented by the General Committee. Prior to calling a meeting of that 
committee, the members from Colorado have thought that an expression of 
opinion upon various details would be desirable, and they will therefore 
thank you, as a member of said committee, to forward to Ed. C. Parmelee, 
Grand Secretary, Denver, Colorado, your opinions upon the specific points 
hereinafter mentioned, together with such others as you may have, relating 
to the general subject. 

The Grand Lodge of Colorado will cause these opinions to be pub- 
lished in full, and a copy forwarded to each member of the committee, in 
order that all may be wisely considered and the best adopted. 

1. Please state if in your opinion any other day than the 14th of 
December, in 1899, should be considered for the memorial observances. 

2. Do you favor a general rendezvous at the City of Washington ? 



Centennial flDcmorial 21 

3. Would you favor chartering of transportation to Mount Vernon 
for Masons alone, to be paid from a general fund to be provided, or for the 
boat on which the Masons travel to be for the accommodation of the jmblic 
also, each Mason or other person paying his own fare ? 

4. Please state if in your opinion other addresses should be given 
than one upon the life and character of Washington, and another upon 
his Masonic career. 

5. Please state if in your opinion it would be well for every Grand 
Master to prepare and read an address of two or three minutes' duration, 
suitable to the occasion. 

6. Please express your opinion whether or not the President of the 
United States should be invited to be present. 

7. Please express your opinion on the advisability of requesting the 
President of the United States, whether a Mason or otherwise, to give an 
address. 

8. Please express your opinion whether or not the Vice-President, 
Cabinet, Justices of the Supreme Court, or any of them, or others, should 
be invited to be present in case of an affirmative opinion as to the presence 
of the President. 

9. Please express your opinion if the Grand Master of Virginia 
should not by virtue of the circumstances, preside at the observances. 

10. Please express your opinion if a Lodge of Master Masons should 
be opened prior to the public observances. 

11. Please express your opinion if the General Grand Chapter of 
Eoyal Arch Masons of the United States, or the Grand Encampment of 
Knights Templar of the United States, should be invited to participate. 

12. Please name several eminent Masons, in the order of your pref- 
erence, who should be selected to give the addresses that may be deter- 
mined upon. 



XLbc Masbinoton ni:)asonic 



13. Please express your opinion upon the question of music, its char- 
acter, whether vocal or instrumental, or hoth, and the pieces to be selected. 

14. Please express your opinion upon the time and place for the com- 
mittee to be called to formulate the report for presentation to the respective 
Grand Lodges. 

15. Please state your opinion, if the order of procession in Wash- 
ington, and from the river to the mansion, should place the youngest Grand 
Lodge at the head, to be followed by others according to juniority, with 
Virginia at the rear. 

16. Please state, if, in yoiir opinion, the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
or the Grand Lodges of Virginia and the District of Columbia, should be 
requested to appoint special committees to make local arrangements for 
carrying out the programme tbat may be adopted. 

17. Please make suggestions for observances at Mount Vernon other 
tban those suggested herein. 

18. State if in your opinion the respective Grand Lodges should rec- 
ommend their constituent Lodges to hold memorial services in their respec- 
tive Lodge rooms on the anniversary of Washington's death. 

Respectfully and fraternally yours, 

E. W. Woodbury, 
W. D. Todd, 
W. D. Wkigiit, 
Committee from the Grand Lodge of Colorado. 

REPORT IN 1896. 

In 1896 the committee reported progress to tbe Grand Lodge, again 
reciting from the original report of the Committee on Jurisprudence, and 
closed as follows : 



Centennial flDemorial 23 

A number of Grand Lodges have appointed committees to serve with 
that from this Grand Lodge, * * * and yonr committee think there 
is amjjle time to complete all arrangements, and that evei-y Grand Lodge 
will gladly take part in the Memorial Exercises. 

The only serious difficulty in the original suggestions was the cmnber- 
some manner of arriving at a plan which required committees from all over 
the United States to meet somewhere and agree, and then report back to 
their respective Grand Lodges for approval, and when that had been done, 
to proceed Avith the arrangements approved. In discussing the proposi- 
tions that should be submitted by this committee to the committees of other 
Grand Lodges, the latter were invited to express their opinion upon the 
advisability of the Grand Lodge of Virginia taking the leadership, and the 
opinions expressed by other committees were in the affirmative. 

This committee is now further of the opinion that the Grand Lodge of 
Virginia should now be formally requested to take the leadership, adopt 
such plans as to it may seem best, and the committee from this Grand Lodge 
co-operate with the Grand Lodge of Virginia in carrying out those plans. 
As a matter of fact, the Memorial Exercises originally proposed would nec- 
essarily be under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, if a national 
gathering of Grand Lodges, or their Eepresentatives, should be undertaken, 
for such a gathering and the memorial addresses should be held only at 
Mount Vernon. 

We therefore recommend that this Grand Lodge authorize this com- 
mittee to present the matter to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and make the 
formal request suggested, providing it first meets the approval of the com- 
mittees from other Grand Lodges who have notified us of their appointment 
to act in conjunction with your committee. 

We further advise that your committee be directed to recommend to 
its associate committees from other Gi-and Lodges that each Grand Lodge 



24 ^bc Masbinoton fiDasonic 



recouimeiul every SulKirtliiiate Lodge in its jurisdiction to hold lueniorial 
exercises on the 14tli day of December, 1899, simultaneously with the 
national exercises at Mount Vernon. 

Fraternally submitted, 

r. w. woodbuet. 

Wm. D. Todd. 

W. D. Wright. 

CIRCULAR OF 1896. 

Immediately after the approval of the foregoing report by the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado another formal circular was issued, which after reciting 
the report in full, and its adoption by the Grand Lodge, proceeded to say : 

In a great measure the above report explains itself. It is often the 
case that a matter which seems clear at its first inception develops compli- 
cations after acquaintance, and it has been found in this case difficult to 
perfect details, or even generals, because of the large number of represen- 
tatives of Grand Lodges to be consulted, the irregularity of Communica- 
tions of the various Grand Lodges and the difficulty of conveniently holding 
a meeting of Grand Lodge committees. It was, therefore, thought here 
that it would be better, all things considered, for the committees that have 
been appointed by the Grand Lodges to request the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia to continue plans, as to it may seem best, for such recognition of the 
14th of December, 1899. In any event, the Grand Lodge of Virginia 
would, by right and courtesy, have charge of whatever Memorial Exercises 
might be provided for at Mount Vernon, and it is probable that every 
Grand Lodge in the United States would be glad to lend its presence and 
influence on tJiat occasion upon invitation from the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia. This arrangement would eliminate the difficulties which have de- 
\eloped in the progress of this committee's work, and we will ask you to 



Centennial flDemorial 2$ 

notify this committee or the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Colo- 
receipt of the ai^proval of the majority of the committees heretofore ap- 
proval could be conveyed without waiting to submit it to your own Grand 
Lodge, for the reason that it requires no expenditure from your Grand 
Lodge, and there can be no question of its meeting the approval of all. On 
receipt of the approval of the majority of the committees heretofore ap- 
pointed, this committee will communicate and make formal invitation in 
behalf of these committees, using their names in said invitation, to the 
Grand Lodge of Virginia, in accordance with the foregoing report. 

We conceive that the suggestion that each Grand Lodge should advise 
its Subordinates to arrange for memorial exercises in each of their Lodge 
rooms on the date of the anniversary, need not necessarily depend upon the 
adoption or rejection of the invitation to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, but 
that, should the latter accede to our invitation, the proposition will there- 
after fittingly emanate from that Grand Lodge; if not, that the several 
committees should recommend such action to their respective Grand Lodges. 

Fraternally yours, 

R. W. Woodbury. 

W. D. Weight. 

W. D. Todd. 

LETTER TO GRAND MASTER OF VIRGINIA. 

Denvee, Colo., May 18, 1897. 
Hoif. A. E, CouETNEY, Most Worshipful Grand Master, Richmond, Va. : 
Dear Sir and Most Worshipful Brother — It gives me pleasure to for- 
ward to you, as the honored Grand Master of Masons of Virginia, the 
enclosed invitation to your Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, in accordance 
with the action of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, at its last annual Grand 
Communication, to assume the leadership in devising suitable Memorial 



26 Zbc 'Masbinoton fIDasonic 



Services and carrying out the same, on tJie one-luindrcdth anniversary of 
the death of Brother George Washington. It has consumed much time in 
getting replies from the respective committees of other Grand Lodges, a 
difficulty that was early impressed ujwn this committee, and which aroused 
it to the necessity of your Grand Lodge taking the interesting subject into 
its own hands, and acting arbitrarily and witliout consultation with any 
otlier. 

At tlic beginning, the Grand Lodge of Colorado felt tliat as it was ad- 
mitted into the Union of States on the one-hundredth anniversary of the 
promulgation of the Declaration of Independence (which Brother George 
Washington made an effective instniment by his success in the field and in 
State-craft), the suggestion of holding Memorial Exercises on the anni- 
versary of his death would emanate from Colorado with as much propriety 
as a child may suggest and arrange to observe tlie anniversary of a parent's 
loss with due solemnity and reverence. 

I have seen biit one unkind reference to the proposition, and that was 
by some foreign coiTcspondent, whose name and State remains not in mem- 
ory, and who wrote it somewhat flippantly as a "celebration," rather con- 
veying the idea of a gala day. This committee has uniformly referred to 
the exercises as "Memorial" Services, yet it is not inappropriate to speak 
of "celebrating" it. The church uses the word for its most solemn occa- 
sions, but I need not enlai-ge iipon tliat point. The brother to whose com- 
ment 1 have referred had evidently sought to make a sharp and sparkling 
report in correspondence, as some occasionally do; and had not permitted 
his mind to dwell long enough upon this subject to perceive its magnitude. 
No person of int<?lligence can think of it carefully without its importance 
beginning to unfold to him. 

Our committee sends you by tliis niail, niulcr sei>arate cover, copies of 
our circular letters, and a copy of mir last Grand Lodge proceedings, with 



Centennial flDemorial 27 

various references marked in tlie report of the Committee on Foreign Cor- 
respondence relative to the action of other Grand Lodges upon this general 
subject. 

You will, of course, understand that tlie irregular periods at which 
the Grand Lodges of the United States assemble, and the time required to 
print all their proceedings and then have them reviewed by a foreign corre- 
spondence committee, and that committee to report to its own Grand Lodge, 
and the latter have it put in type with its own proceedings, precludes the 
possibility of a single year's proceedings covering the action of all Grand 
Lodges. Some have been reported by our former proceedings, and some 
have committees still considering the subject, so far as we know. The vari- 
ous committees have different tenures of oiBce. Some were appointed to 
serve until after the proposed Memorial Services. We conceive, however, 
that if your Grand Lodge now approves the general wish, it should take the 
initiative as if nothing had been done by us. By your personal sympathy 
all tJie Grand Lodges of the United States will become enthusiasts in the 
support of old Virginia. Our committee thinks that much depends upon 
you personally, for if your heart is in harmony with the movement, as we 
believe it to be, you will appoint an exceptionally able committee from your 
Grand Lodge, broad enough, and great enough to grasp the national scope 
of this enterprise. 

Our committee thinks that as your Grand Lodge does not meet until 
December, it would serve to increase the interest in the various Grand 
Jurisdictions were wo to report to the several committees and embody a 
copy of our official invitation to your Grand Lodge ; but we realize the im- 
propriety of our furnishing a copy of a paper addressed to your Grand 
Lodge, to any one except our own Grand Lodge in our official report to that 
body, which will meet in September. We will, however, issue a circular 
to die other committees and Grand Lodges, and if it meets your approval. 



28 ^be Masbinoton flDasonic 



suggest that you write us a letter, to be incorporated in tJiat circular, ac- 
knowledging the receipt of tlie official invitation to your Grand Lodge, and 
expressing your favorable sentiments >iihmi the general subject. All the 
committees and Grand Lodges would thereupon look wiiii increasing inter- 
est for the next Grand Communication of your Grand Lodge. 

If there be any service tliis committee can perform to aid you or your 
Grand Lodge, I beg you to feel tliat it will be a pleasure to respond ; and 
in behalf of the committee from Colorado I beg you to present our letter of 
invitation to your Grand Lodge, and accept, Most Worshipful Brother, this 
profession of oiir fraternal esteem. 

Sincerely yours, 

E. W. Woodbury, 

Chairman. 

In due time Brother Kemper of the original Virginia committee, ap- 
pointed to co-operate with the Grand Lodge of Colorado, reported to this 
Grand Lodge all the Colorado circulars and correspondence, together with 
tlie following : 

BROTHER KEMPER'S REPORT TO VIRGINIA. 

To the Most Worshipful Orand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia: 

1 have tlie honor to submit a report of the inception, progress and 
present status of the proposed observance of the centennial anniversary of 
tlie death of Worshipful Brother George Washington. 

By reference to the Proceedings of tlie Grand Lodge of Virginia for 
the year 1803, it will be seen that the Grand Master, in his annual address, 
made mention of tie receipt by him of a letter from a committee of the 
Grand Lodge of Colorado, proposing to mark tlie notable anniversary re- 
ferred to bv suitable Masonic observances at Mount Vernon. 



Centennial HDeniorial 



The committee to whom the Grand Master's address was referred, in 

their report, among other things, recommended the following action : 

"Resolved, 2. That this Grand Lodge accepts the patriotic suggestion of the 
Grand Lodge of Colorado with regard to the centennial anniversary of the death of 
Washington on the 14th day of December, 1899, and the Grand Master is authorized 
to appoint a committee as therein recommended." 

This recommendation was adopted, and the Grand Master appointed 
as the committee Right Worshipful Francis A. Keed, principal, and Wor- 
shipful K. Kemper, alternate. 

Your committee promptly informed the committee of the Grand Lodge 
of Colorado of their appointment and their readiness to co-operate, and in 
due time received from the latter a circular letter dated March 15, 1895, a 
copy of which is annexed marked exhibit "A," and made a part of this re- 
jx)rt. 

Suitable answers to the propositions and suggestions contained in the 
circular letter were made by the undersigned, the death of our lamented 
Brother Reed, principal, having devolved the work on the alternate. 

It resulted from the answers received by the committee of the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado to the above mentioned circular that your committee re- 
ceived another commimication dated September 19, 1896, formally "re- 
questing the Grand Lodge of Virginia to take the leadership in this matter 
and adopt such plans as to it may seem best" for a successful consummation, 
in co-operation with the other Grand Lodges in the United States. 

In evidence of the alacrity with which the other Grand Lodges acceded 
to the suggestion of the committee of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, that 
primacy in these interesting ceremonies should be assigned to the Grand 
Lodge of Virginia, the Colorado committee sent me copies of many of the 
answers above referred to. 

No further action was taken imtil some time in last August, when, in 
response to an urgent request from the Colorado committee to be informed 



30 ^be MaebinQton riDasonic 

as to the likelihood of the Grand Lodge of Virginia being willing to assume 
the proposed leadership, I sent to the chairman of that committee a letter, 
of which the following is a copy : 

Alexandria, Va., August 25, 1897. 
Right Worshipful Roger W. Woodbury, Chairman, etc.: 

Dear Sir and Brother — Acknowledging the receipt of your valued letter, with 
accompanying papers, concerning the proposed Memorial Exercises in honor of 
Brother George Washington, in 1899, and suggesting that the Grand Lodge of 
Virginia should assume the leadership of the same, I have the honor to make 
answer that I have seized the first opportunity presenting itself to confer person- 
ally with the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and as 
the result of that conference I am authorized to accept for the present committee of 
our Grand Lodge the primacy in this interesting matter so gracefully tendered by 
the Grand Lodge of Colorado, and to say that a full report of the proposition will 
be made to our Grand Lodge at its annual communication in December next, at 
which time I have no doubt a committee will be appointed to take charge of the 
matter, who will in due time formulate a programme, and take all other steps need- 
ful to carry to a successful completion these exercises naturally so full of interest 
to all Americans, especially to "the household of the Faithful." 

This committee will, when appointed, I am sure, gladly avail themselves of 
your kind offers of assistance. 

Reciprocating your kind expressions, I remain. 

Yours fraternally, 

K. KEMPER. 
Committee Grand Lodge of Virginia. 

Immediately following the receipt by the Colorado committee of the 
foregoing letter, that committee issued a circular note to each of the Grand 
Lodges in the United States, informing them of the status of the corre- 
spondence with your committee, and concluding with the suggestion that 
each committee of the several Grand Lodges "at once forward to Brother 
Kemper, at Alexandria, their names and addresses, in order to facilitate 
correspondence from that office." 

Following in due time the issuance of this circular from the Colorado 
committee, letters in fui-therance of its concluding suggestion began to be 



Centennial fiDemorial 31 

received by your committee, and at this wi-iting I have to report the receipt 
of these, viz. ; * * * •■■ 

From the zeal displayed in these letters, and, indeed, in every incident 
of the correspondence as set fortli in this report, it is evident that the pro- 
posed commemorative exercises, if carried out to the successful conclusion 
so plainly assured by the hearty co-operation of our brethren all over the 
country, will, without doubt, be the grandest Masonic event of the century. 

In conclusion, I beg to tliank the Grand Lodge for their kindness in 
imposing upon me this labor of love, as in its performance I have enjoyed 
the privilege of pleasant correspondence with so many of the brethren of 
the Mystic tie in different sections of our land, and have the honor to close 
this report with the recommendation that the Grand Master be authorized 
and requested to appoint a committee consisting of not less than three nor 
more than five members to take charge of these proposed commemorative 
observances, with plenary powers to make all needful arrangements, finan- 
cial, social, and literary; and to suggest tentatively the following pro- 
gramme. * * * * 

All of which is respectfully submitted. 

K. Kempek, 
Chairman. 

ACTION OF GRAND LODGE OF VIRGINIA. 

The foregoing report of Brother Kemper was referred by the Grand 
Lodge of Virginia to its Standing Committee on Propositions, which re- 
ported as follows, and the same was formally adopted by that Grand Lodge : 

That they have given careful consideration to the said report and its 
accompanying exhibits, and that they find that this Grand Lodge at its 
annual Communication in the year 1893, resolved to accept the patriotic 
suggestion of the Grand Lodge of Colorado with regard to the centennial 



32 ^be TKHasbiiiflton fIDasonic 



anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington on the 
14th day of December, 1799 ; and they further find that Eight Worshipful 
Brother K. Kemper did, on the 25th of August, 1897, in a letter to Eight 
Worshipful Eoger W. Woodbury, Chairman of tlie Committee of the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado, write him that he had consulted with the Most Worship- 
ful Grand Master of Masons in Virginia, and tliat as a re-sult of that confer- 
ence had accepted from the then committee of that Grand Lodge primacy 
in tlie matter of the proper observance of the 14th day of December, 1899, 
and that he had no doubt that a committee would be appointed at this an- 
nual Conuuuiiieation to take charge of the matter, and would, in due time, 
formulate a programme and take all other steps needful to carry to a suc- 
cessful completion tlie exercises naturally so full of interest to all Ameri- 
cans, and especially to "the household of the faithful." 

So that the committee, at the outset, ascertained that this Grand Lodge 
is fully committed to the work of the proper observance of the day indi- 
cated. 

That the matter has received thoughtful attention in the admirable ad- 
dress of the retiring Grand Master, Courtney, who says that the crowning 
glory of this old Commonwealth is the honor of having furnished a Wash- 
ington to the cause of liberty and constitutional government, and that every 
son of hers, whether he be adopted or to the manor born, should join most 
heartily in the work to be done. In view of these facts, and what your 
committee believes will be renardcd by this Grand Lodge as properly the 
most illustrious and conspicuous undertaking it has ever been called upon 
to take part in, we recommend tliat tJie suggestion contained in Eight Wor- 
shipful Brother Kemper's report be adopted, and that the Grand blaster, 
at this session of the Grand Lodge, be requested to appoint a committee con- 
sisting of five Master Masons to take charge of these proposed commem- 
orative ceremonies with power to make all needful arrangements, finan- 



Centennial flDemortal 33 



cial, social, literary and otherwise, and that in so doing they act under and 
at all times subject to the direction of the Most Worshipful Grand Master 
of Masons in Virginia during the recess of this Grand Body, and that the 
programme tentatively mapped out by Right Worshipful Brother Kemper 
be referred to this committee, when appointed, with these directions: 

That, if practicable, Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, of Virginia, in 
which Worshipful Brother George Washington was entered, passed, and 
raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason, be included in the ceremo- 
nies which it may deem proper to have in pursuance of the object of this 
report, and that the Board of Lady Regents at Mount Vernon, Virginia, be 
respectfully and earnestly requested, through this committee, to lend their 
consent and cordial co-operation in the exercises that may be deemed perti- 
nent and appropriate to an observance of the anniversary of Worshipful 
Brother George Washington's death on December 14, 1899; and that, as 
soon as practicable after the closing of tliis Grand Lodge, a copy of this 
report be addressed to the Grand Master of every Grand Lodge of Masons 
in correspondence with this Grand Lodge, and that each and every Grand 
Lodge be invited to be present (at the proposed services or cei'emonies) in 
the person of its Grand Master, or, in his absence, such alternate as such 
Grand Master may appoint. That the Grand Lodge of Colorado be frater- 
nally thanked for inaugurating this matter, and that some duty in the pro- 
gramme be especially assigned to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of 
that jurisdiction. That Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 and Alexandria- 
Washington Lodge No. 22, of the latter of which Worshipful Brother Gen- 
eral George Washington was the Master named in its charter, be especially 
invited to aid in the furtherance of the object of this report, and that, if 
practicable, each of those Lodges, because of its history and connection 
with Worshipful Brother George Washington, be given prominent parts in 
the exercises it may be deemed proper to arrange for in the programme. 



M 



Zbc IRHasbinoton flDasonic 



That tlie. foiuinittcc hereinbefore provided for be allowed, with tlic apjiro- 
bation of tlie Grand blaster, to draw nn the Treasurer of tlic Grand Lodge 
for reasonable sums to be expended in furtherance of tbe object of this un- 
dertaking, and tliat tbey be requested in their report to the next Grand 
Loilgv to do\iso :i phin for raising tlu' money neceasary to defray tbe ex- 
penses incident to the observance hereinbefore sought to be provided for. 

That tlie Grand Secretary in his communications to tlie several Grand 
Masters be requested to a.<k these Gi'and Masters respectively, to send their 
replies as soon as possible to the invitations extended, and that tlie Grand 
Secretary, as soon as tliese replies are received, shall furnish the commit- 
tee, hereinbefore provided for, with copies of tlie same. Tliat this commit- 
tee be requested to make full report of its acts and doings, and especially as 
tt> the programme for a proper observance of De<?ember 14, 1S99, on the 
tirst day of tlie next Grand .Vnutial Connnunication of this Grand Lodge. 
And that the committee, hereinbefore provided for, shall be considered as a 
Committee of Arrangements, and shall exist as such until after the comple- 
tion of the services at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1S99, and that they 
shall have charge of all the arrangements incident thereto. And that 
further, in view of the magnitude and importance of this work, and that 
the matter may be disseminated as widely as possible, that a copy of this 
report be furnished for publication liefore the publication of the proceed- 
ings of this Grand Animal Communication. 

Res}>eetfully submitted. 



W. B. McClIESXEY. 

Jamks B. Sekek. 

J. T. Le Sneur. 

J. 11. Fisher. 
A copy teste. 

Geo. W. Carrinotox, 

Grand Secretar\-. 



-T. E. Sehkei.e. 
j as. j). boxdurant. 
^^'^^. Deax. 
Frank E. Coxkad. 



Centennial flDemorial ?? 



REPORT OF THE COLORADO COMMITTEE 1897. 

To the Most Worshipful Orand Lodge: 

YoTir committee appointed in 1893 to inaugurate a movement for suit- 
able National Masonic Memorial Services upon the one-hundredth anni- 
versary of the death of our Illustrious Brother George Washington, 
respectfully and fraternally report: 

That in accordance with your action at your last Annual Grand Com- 
munication they duly communicated through tlie representative of the 
Grand Lodge of Virginia and its Most Worshipful Grand Master, with the 
Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Virginia, inviting that Grand Jurisdic- 
tion to assume and take full control of the proposed Memorial Services, 
and all arrangements connected tlierewith. Our Communication was nec- 
essarily a review of all that had been done by this committee, so that a clear 
understanding would be liad of the situation ; and as a part of the history 
of this Grand Lodge, we herewith quote the same in fiill, as follows: 

To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. M., of Virginia: 

In accordance with the recommendation made by the Most Worshipful Grand 
Master in 1893, the Grand Lodge of Colorado, A. F. and A. M., appointed the under- 
signed as a committee to inaugurate a movement for suitable National Masonic 
Memorial Services upon the one-hundredth anniversary of the death of Worshipful 
Brother George Washington. As an undertaking so important should be entered 
upon only after reasonable assurances that it could be carried out in a manner 
befitting the character and dignity of the occasion, the first duty of the committee 
was to submit the recommendation to the several Grand Masters, and through 
them to the Grand Lodges of the United States for their approval. 

As the result of such preliminary correspondence a sufficient number of Grand 
Lodges expressly approved the recommendation, and no information of adverse 
action was conveyed to the committee. The latter, therefore, felt warranted in 
assuming that in due time all the Grand bodies, representing the great body of 
American Freemasonry, would loyally unite to appropriately honor the memory 
of him to whom it was said in the original recommendation of the Grand Master 
of Colorado, that by "universal consent of civilized men he is the largest figure in 



^6 Ebe Magbinflton flDagonic 

all merely human history, and his name stands first upon the roll of Masonry's illus- 
trious dead." 

The correspondence of this committee with committees appointed by other 
Grand Lodges invited expressions of opinion by way of suggestions as to various 
specific details of the proposed ceremonies. One of these questions was as to the 
advisability of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Virginia taking the leadership 
in, and having charge of, the exercises, and that said exercises should most ap- 
propriately be held at Mount Vernon. In reply to these questions the co-operating 
committees expressed opinions in the affirmative. 

At the Annual Grand Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of 
Colorado in 1896, this committee made a report upon the subject, which was unan- 
imously adopted by the Grand Lodge. * • * » 

Subsequently, and under date of September 19, 1896, a circular letter was by 
this committee sent to all committees appointed by other Grand Lodges. It em- 
bodied the whole of the report adopted by the Grand Lodge of Colorado, above 
referred to, together with some additional suggestions on the part of the commit- 
tee. To this last circular letter this committee is in receipt of replies from the 
several committees representing other Grand Lodges. Though in some instances 
modestly disclaiming to speak oificially, the distinguished Masons serving on these 
committees, and from whom these replies were received, may well be regarded as 
expressing the sentiments of their respective Grand Lodges. And as indicating 
approval of the recommendation generally, and the kindly sentiment in favor of 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia formulating and taking full charge of the exercises, 
this committee takes the liberty of quoting in part only, from a few of these com- 
munications, as follows: 

The representative of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia thus expresses him- 
self: "I heartily agree in the suggestions in the foregoing letters. The grand old 
Lodge of dear old Virginia ought to have the lead in this matter." 

The Grand Lodge of Maryland, through its committee, says: "We concur in 
the suggestion that the Grand Lodge of Virginia be requested to assume the lead 
in the matter. This is especially appropriate in view of the proposition to hold 
the services upon the soil of that State." 

From Vermont on the north, the duly appointed committee of its Grand Lodge 
says: "The suggestions made in the circular recently received from you in relation 
to the formulation of plans by the Grand Lodge of Virginia for the observance of 
the centennial of Washington's death, meets with my hearty concurrence. I am 
joined in this by our Most Worshipful Grand Master, who approves fully of your 
suggestions." 

From Texas in the extreme south, we have the following: "I most heartily 
concur with the committee on the part of our Grand Lodge, wherein they recom- 



Centennial fIDeniorial 37 

mend that the Grand Lodge of Virginia be requested to formulate plans for the 
proper observance of the centennial of the death of Brother George Washington, 
and that it take active charge and control of the matter." 

Indiana, through the proper representative of its Grand Lodge, thus warmly 
gives encouragement: "I most heartily approve the action of the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado, and am satisfied that when the time comes the Grand Lodge of Indiana 
will be found in line, and her Subordinate Lodges in no manner lacking." 

The Grand Lodge of Michigan, through its representative, speaks in the fol- 
lowing manner: "Acting as a special committee to represent the Grand Lodge of 
Michigan on this memorial occasion, I am in full sympathy with the suggestions 
of your committee, in requesting the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which was the 
Masonic home of the illustrious dead, to formulate the plans for this memorial 
occasion." 

The Grand Lodge of Arkansas gives its approval in the following manner: 
"This Grand Lodge approves the suggestion to invite the Grand Lodge of Virginia 
to formulate the particular exercises to be held, and will gladly co-operate in what- 
ever may be indicated therefor." 

From Kansas, the Grand Lodge, through its appointed committee, promises 
co-operation as follows: "We heartily coincide with the committee of your Grand 
Lodge in its suggestion that the Grand Lodge of Virginia adopt such plans as it 
seems best, for the proposed Memorial Services on the one hundredth anniversary 
of the death of Brother George Washington, and that the several Grand Lodges 
throughout the United States co-operate with the Grand Lodge of Virginia in carry- 
ing out such plans." 

In behalf of all the Grand Lodges whose Committees we are in correspondence 
with, we now feel warranted in assuring you of the strength and support of all. 
The distinguished Masons whose names are attached to many such approving letters 
may be regarded as speaking on this subject the voice of Masonry in their several 
States. It is, therefore, the great body of the Craft, which, through them, now in- 
vites the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State, which was the "Mother of 
Presidents," to assume its proper leadership in honoring the memory of the first 
and greatest President, and Virginia's most illustrious son. Under such honored 
leadership, with the interest sure to be taken by the several Grand Lodges and the 
Craft generally, the Memorial should result in a great National Assemblage of 
leading Masons, sure to be representative citizens from their several sections. It 
would be a most notable assemblage, held under circumstances which would make 
it one of the greatest events in the Masonic history of the world. It would call 
attention anew to the remarkable array of great men, who in the "days that tried 
men's souls," were distinguished alike for love of country and of Masonry. It 
would add to the accepted belief of American Masons that the absorption and 



38 ^be XIOasbinGton fiDasonic 



ardent advocacy of Masonic principles by so many of the founders of the Republic, 
happily did much to strengthen the cause of Liberty. The many modern fraterni- 
ties, following as to their main teachings in the footsteps of Masonry, and thereby 
conserving the best interests of society in the perilous changes so rapidly going on 
in social and political conditions, it will be remembered were not then in existence. 
The field was occupied almost exclusively by Masonry, then, as now, and at all 
times, attracting to its ranks the higher grade of men, naturally fitted to mould the 
destinies of States. Under such circumstances, the common fatherhood of God, 
as taught by Masonry, expanded into the religious toleration and the total separa- 
tion of Church and State, which the Fathers so wisely embodied in the laws of the 
Republic; and the Masonic teaching of the common brotherhood of man grew and 
unfolded into the abolition of the Old-World titles of distinction, and the civil 
equality of all men before the Law, under a government of the people. And thus 
by the evolution and expansive force of great ideas under favoring conditions the 
fundamental teachings of Masonry became the foundation principles of the Re- 
public. The thoughts and memories suggested by such an occasion should 
strengthen the sentiment of Patriotism among all our people, and promote the 
honor and glory of Masonry. 

In conclusion we assure you that the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Colo- 
rado, which we have the honor to represent, will do all in its power to assist you 
in the important work we now fraternally invite you to assume the full control of. 

Fraternally yours, 

ROGER WILLIAMS WOODBURY, 
WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, 
WILLIAM DAVID TODD, 
Committee of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. 



The Grand Lodge of Virginia will meet in Annual Communication 
next December, but your committee lias the extreme pleasure of reporting 
that yoni- invitation has been received in a spirit worthy of the occasion, as 
appears from the letter furnished us in advance of the Virginia Annual 
Grand Communication, in order that their sentiments might be now re- 
ported to you. (See letter of Worshipful Brother K. Kemper, on page 30.) 

The Grand Lodge of Colorado may therefore rely upon receiving in 
due time an official request and invitation from the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia to co-operate with, ami join with it, in suitable Memorial Exercises, 



Centennial fIDemorial 39 

and we deem further action by your committee, until then, unnecessary, 
except to communicate to our associate committees appointed by other 
Grand Lodges the contents of the foregoing letter from the representative 
of Virginia. 

We are pleased to advise you of the favorable result of our negotia- 
tions, and feel that the Masonic patriotism and statesmanship which has 
caused your proposition to be so happily received by our distinguished 
brothers of "Old Virginia" is a cause for profound congratulation. 
Respectfully and fraternally submitted, 

RoGEE Williams Woodbury, 
William D. Weight, 
William David Todd, 
Committee of the Grand Lodge of Colorado. 

FROM ADDRESS OF THE GRAND MASTER OF COLORADO 1898. 

On February 2, 189S, I received the following letter from the Right 
Worshipful Grand Secretary of Virginia: 

Ricbmond, Va., January 29. 1898. 
Most Worshipful Cromwell Tucker, Grand Master of Masons in Colorado: 

Most Worshipful Brother — In compliance with the mandate of the Grand 
Lodge of Virginia, as contained in the enclosed report, it affords me great pleasure 
to extend to your Grand Lodge Virginia's cordial invitation to be present at, and 
participate in, the Memorial Ceremonies incident to the observance of the death 
of Worshipful Brother George Washington, to be held at Mount Vernon, on De- 
cember 14, 1899, either in the person of the Grand Master, or such alternate as he 
may appoint. 

Full information as to the details of the ceremonies on that occasion will, in 
due time, be forwarded to your Grand Lodge by the Special Committee of Arrange- 
ments appointed by the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 

Hoping to be notified at an early day of your acceptance of this invitation, I 

have the honor to be, 

Yours fraternally, 

GEO. W. CARRINGTON, 

Grand Secretary. 



40 ^be TaHasbinflton fIDasonic 



To wliieli reply was made as follows : 

Denver, Colo., February 9, 1898. 
Right Worshiiifiil Geo. W. Carrington. Grand Secretary. Richmond, Va.: 

Right Worshipful Brother — It affords me much pleasure to acknowledge re- 
ceipt of your letter of January 29, in which you convey the cordial invitation of 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia to the Grand Lodge of Colorado, requesting our par- 
ticipation in the Memorial Ceremonies incident to the observance of the death of 
Worshipful Brother George Washington, which are to be held at Mount Vernon on 
December 14, 1899, either in the person of our then Grand Master, or such alternate 
as he may appoint, and in reply thereto, I beg to say that without doubt our Grand 
Lodge will be so represented. 

The patriotic sentiments contained in the proposed Commemorative Cere- 
monies appeal so strongly to every member of our Craft throughout the United 
States of America, that it does not require a prophetic eye to foresee that the 
gathering of Masons on that occasion will be the largest in our history, and be 
pregnant with the most important results. 

We fully agree with the sentiments, so admirably expressed by Most Worship- 
ful Brother Courtney, that the crowning glory of your old Commonwealth is the 
honor of having furnished a Washington to the cause of liberty and constitutional 
government, yet we, while not "to the manor born," claim almost, if not an equal 
honor, in the same crowning glory, the effects of which are felt and always will 
be felt by all civilized nations throughout the world. 

It is my further duty and extreme pleasure to fraternally acknowledge the 
courteous action of your Grand Lodge in extending its thanks for our inauguration 
of this matter, and for the special assignment of some duty in the programme to 
the Grand Master of Colorado. 

Permit me to express the hope that the success of the undertaking may be 
commensurate with the wishes and desires of your own people, and of all Masons 
wheresoever dispersed, and assuring you of the cordial and hearty co-operation of 
this Grand Lodge, I beg to remain. 

Most fraternally yours, 

CROMWELL TUCKER, 
Grand Master. 

On August 29, 1898, the following circular letter was received : 

To the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Officers and Members of the Grand Lodge 

A. F. and A. M. of Colorado: 

Most Worshipful Sir and Brethren — At the instance of the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado, and subsequently at the request of her sister Grand Lodges, the Grand 



Centennial flDemorial 41 

Lodge of Virginia assumed the conduct of the proper commemoration of the one 
hundredth anniversary of the death of Brother George Washington, the services 
incident to the occasion to take place at Mount Vernon, on December 14, 1899. 
The undersigned, in pursuance of a resolution of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge 
of Virginia, have been appointed a committee to prepare a suitable programme, and 
to devise the ways and means for carrying out the same with credit to those who 
have undertaken it, and honor to our ancient and honorable Fraternity. 

After repeated meetings of our committee and most careful consideration of the 
subject, we have found that it will require an outlay of money which will be equal 
to a per capita assessment of one cent per member in each Grand Jurisdiction. 

As the commemoration is to be a national one, and Virginia has undertaken 
its management at the request of her sister Grand Lodges, this committee deems 
it proper that these Grand Lodges shall have the opportunity — if they so desire — 
to contribute to its proper observance. 

To that end, if your Grand Jurisdiction deem the proposed observance worthy 
of the expenditure named, they can forward any amount they feel disposed to con- 
tribute to R. W. Fred. Pleasants, Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
Masonic Temple, Richmond, Va., who has kindly consented to act as treasurer for 
the committee, and who will receipt for same. 

K. KEMPER, 

Chairman. 
J. B. SENER, 
JNO. W. DANIEL, 
MICAJAH WOODS, 
A. R. COURTNEY, 

Committee. 
Alexandria, Va., August 22, 1898. 

In regard to the opportunity offered for our financial participation 
of the expenses incident to the occasion, I would fraternally recom- 
mend that as the event is to be a national one, and the management of the 
same has been undertaken by the Grand Lodge of Virginia at the request 
and suggestion of other Grand Lodges, we should contribute our per capita 
proportion and even more if necessary, to protect the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia against undue expense. 

Any other matters of importance in connection with this great Ma- 
sonic ceremony will doubtless be communicated to you by the standing com- 



42 '^be Washington fIDasonic 

inittee, which consists of Most Worshijjful Brothers Roger \V. Woodbury, 
William D. Wright and William D. Todd, to whom T would respectfully 
suggest that the correspondence submitted herewith be referred. 

This portion of the Grand Master's address being referred to the Me- 
morial Committee, report was made thereon, and unanimously adopted, as 
follows : 



REPORT OF THE COLORADO COMMITTEE 1898. 

To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge: 

Your Committee on Memorial Exercises upon the centennial anniver- 
sary of the death of Worshipful Brother General George Washington, re- 
spectfully report : 

That they have had under consideration tJie references and recom- 
mendations made in the address of Most Worshipful Grand Master Tucker, 
and during the past year have continued in official correspondence with 
the Committee of Arrangements appointed by the Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge of Virginia. 

The committee of the Grand Lodge of Virginia which was originally 
appointed to consider and report upon the invitation of this Grand Lodge to 
take general charge of tlie Memorial Exercises, referred to it in their report 
as "properly the most illustrious and conspicuous undertaking" that the 
Grand Lodge of Virginia had ever been called upon to take part in. Their 
report, which was adopted, also contained the following: 

"That the Grand Lodge of Colorado be fraternally thanked for inaugurating 
this matter, and that some duty in the programme be especially assigned to the 
Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of that Jurisdiction." 



Centennial fIDeniorial 43 

The Committee of Arrangements of the Grand Lodge of Virginia has 
forwarded to your Grand Master and to tJiis committee the following pro- 
posed order of exercises : 



PROGRAMME, MASONIC SERVICES, DECEMBER 14, 1S99, AT THE TOMB OP 
BROTHER GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

The Grand Lodge of Virginia, Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, Alexandria-Wash- 
ington Lodge No. 22, delegates and representatives from other Grand Jurisdic- 
tions, and invited guests, will proceed from Alexandria to Mount Vernon by electric 
cars, leaving Alexandria at 9:30 a. m. 

At Mount Vernon the bodies will form on the east side of the house, and pro- 
ceed to the old vault by the same path and in the same order in which the pro- 
cession was formed, and moved, on the day of General Washington's funeral, 
December 18, 1799. At the old vault the services will commence and be conducted 
as follows: 

Solemn dirge by the band. 

Prayer by Brother the Right Reverend A. M. Randolph, Bishop of the diocese 
of Southern Virginia. 

Music by an octette. 

Address by the Grand Master of Colorado. 

Procession will then move to the vault, within which the earthly remains of 
General Washington and his wife now lie, encased in marble tombs. The Grand 
Lodge will form in a circle around the vault. Grand Officers and Representatives of 
other Jurisdictions in front, Lodge No. 4 on the right and Lodge No. 22 on the left. 

Masonic services at the tomb, conducted by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
aided by the Representatives of other Grand Jurisdictions. 

Prayer by the Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 

Vocal music. 

Benediction. 

The procession will then return to the east front of the mansion, where the 
Grand Master of Masons in Virginia will introduce the President of the United 
States, who will make an address to Masons and the general public, who will then 
be admitted to full participation in the ceremonies. 



44 ^be TKHaebinoton flDasonic 



Hymn "America," sung by all present, the band leading the music. During 
the ceremonies minute guns will be fired from Fort Washington, and from a 
United States war vessel, to be stationed in the Potomac opposite Mount Vernon, 
in case permission can be obtained from the proper officials. 

K. KEMPER, 

Chairman. 
J. B. SENER, 
JNO. W. DANIEL, 
MICAJAH WOODS, 
A. B. COURTNEY, 

Committee. 

The Virginia committee has also furnished us with a printed account 
of the ceremonies which took place at Mount Vernon upon the death of 
Washington, and wliich we summarize as follows: 

Washington died at twenty minutes past 10, on Saturday night, December 
14, 1799. 

On the succeeding Monday a funeral Lodge was held to make arrangements 
for the interment. 

At an early hour on Wednesday, the 18th, the Masonic fraternity, under es- 
cort of the military and citizens of Alexandria, started for Mount Vernon, where 
they arrived about one o'clock in the afternoon, and at three the funeral proces- 
sion moved in the following order: 

The troops, horse and foot. 

The clergy. 

The General's horse (with saddle, holsters and pistols), led by two colored 
grooms. 

Music. 

Guard. 

The body of Washington, which was borne on a bier by a detail of four Vir- 
ginian lieutenants. 

The pallbearers, consisting of officers of the Revolution, all members of Alex- 
andria Lodge, except one. 

The principal mourners. 

The corporation of Alexandria. 

Alexandria Lodge No. 22. 

Brooke Lodge No. 47, of Alexandria. 

Federal Lodge No. 15, of Washington. 



Centennial fIDemorial 4? 



Upon arriving at ttie grave the services of the Episcopal Church were con- 
ducted by the Rector of Christ Church of Alexandria, and the Masonic ceremonies 
by Dr. Elisha Cullen Diclc, Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22, and Rev. 
James Muir, Chaplain of the same Lodge. 

During the exercises general discharges were fired by the infantry, cavalry 
and eleven pieces of artillery on the banks of the Potomac, back of the vault, and 
minute guns from a vessel in the stream. 



From the programme arranged for the Centennial Memorial, it will be 
observed that the procession, salutes and exercises are to follow as closely 
as practicable the original obsequies. 

Your committee thinks it would verge ujwu a Masonic crime for any 
Grand Lodge in the United States to be unrepresented at the Memorial 
Ceremonies in honor of the Father of his Country, and whose Masonic in- 
fluence, through the hundred years since his death, has recommended tens 
of thousands of good men to become Masons. 

The presence of the several Grand Masters will be an official act, testi- 
fying to the love and affection of all the Freemasons of their respective 
Grand Jurisdictions, and as such it should be done at the expense of the 
Grand Lodges themselves. 

The fame of Washington as a patriot and a Mason belongs to all the 
States in the Union, and not alone to Virginia, and so each Grand Lodge 
should feel it a duty as well as a pleasure to contribute from its means 
towards defraying the expense of tlie tribute of love and affection which 
Virginia is called upon to carry through. 

Your committee therefore recommends the adoption of the following 
resolutions : 

Resolved, That there is hereby appropriated from the Grand Treasury the sum 
of seventy-five dollars toward the expenses of the Washington Centennial Memo- 
rial exercises under the auspices of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Virginia, 
and the Grand Secretary is hereby authorized and directed to draw a warrant for 



46 Z\)c Masbinoton flDasonic 

the amount, and forward the same to Right Worshipful Fred. Pleasants, Grand 
Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, for the purpose herein stated. 

Resolved, That the Grand Secretary be, and hereby is, authorized and directed 
to inform the chairman of the committee of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, having 
the Washington Centennial Memorial exercises in charge, that should that com- 
mittee's estimate of expenses be exceeded, this Grand Lodge will cheerfully con- 
tribute such additional pro rata as may be necessary. 

Resolved, Tliat there is hereljy appropriated from the Grand Treasury such sum 
of money as may be required to pay the necessary expenses of the Most Worshipful 
Grand Master or his Representative in attending the Washington Centennial Memo- 
rial exercises in behalf of this Grand Lodge, and the brethren of this Grand 
Jurisdiction; and that the Grand Secretary is hereby authorized and directed to 
draw a warrant for such sum as shall be certified to him for such purpose. 

Resolved, That each Lodge in this Jurisdiction be and hereby is recommended 
to make such independent arrangements as to it may seem most appropriate for 
the observance of the 14th day of December. 1899, in their respective Lodge rooms, 
in memory of the exalted virtues and public and Masonic services of that brother 
who was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

Fraternally submitted, 

ROGER W. WOODBURY. 

WILLIAM D. WRIGHT. 

WILLIAM D. TODD. 



FINANCIAL AID TO THE VIRGINIA COMMITTEE. 

Fkedericksbueg, Va., January 14, 1899. 

To EoQER W. Woodbury, W. T). Wimoiit .\nd Wm. D. Todd, Coininittee: 

Dca7- Sirs and Brothers — At a meeting of the Executive Committee 
held yesterday, after most patient consideration of the whole question of 
the December 14, 1899, Centennial, in which your primacy as to its sug- 
gestion, and our primacy in its conduct, was fully considered, the necessity 
of raising means to make it a Masonic success was fully considered, and I 
was deputed, my brctlircu, to say tliese things luito you. As you will see 
from tlio pajiers wliich I enclose, the Grand Lodge of Virginia has already 
arranged to raise $3,000 to insure its success, but this will be a long ways 



Centennial flDemorial 47 

from making it a success. If you have followed the action of the Grand 
Lodges of Ohio, Illinois and Texas, no provision has so far been made to 
extend us any financial assistance. It is all-im]x)rtant that at the very 
latest this committee should know by June 1st what means it can control in 
order to make the Centennial a success. So far the only Grand Lodges that 
have voted appropriations are Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Idaho, Mon- 
tana and Soutli Carolina. In all not over $200, on the one-cent per capita 
basis. Now more than this amount was expended in preliminary meetings, 
printing, travel and postage last year. No salaries are being paid. Of 
course, printing, postage and typewriting are inevitable expenses. The 
statistics show that your Grand Lodge has more than seven-twelfths of the 
membership of our Grand Lodge. We recognize, however, that the expense 
of your coiainittee in attending, and of your Grand Master and Grand Sec- 
retary, will cost several hundred dollars, and after maturest consideration 
it has occurred to us that as we deem it a necessity, you will esteem it a 
pleasure to raise for the exj>enses of this occasion at least $1,000. The 
Centennial occasion will no doubt evoke not only the highest sentiment, but 
the most practical results for its accomplishment from the Centennial 
State. It does not occur to us that anything more than this simple presen- 
tation will be necessary to secure tie amount asked for, and we write at this 
time because we are calling upon our own Subordinate Lodges, as you will 
see by circular enclosed, to raise their amount if practicable, by the 22nd 
of February, and advised as you now are, we have no doubt that after con- 
ference with your Grand Master and Grand Secretary the necessary steps 
can be taken to do this. My OAvn mother Lodge of Washington of this 
place, which has contributed $100, did so by calling on its members for per- 
sonal contributions, and these were promptly made. In this connection 
permit me to ask you to have prepared a short sketch of your Grand Lodge 
and of your Centennial Grand Master and Grand Secretary, so that we 



48 Zbe IKHasbinoton HDasonic 

mav have the same for the memorial volume. I especially invite your at- 
tention to the tentative order of observance at the new tomb at Mount Ver- 
non, and ask that you will give it patient thought, and make any and every 
suggestion that you may deem pertinent, in order that its appropriateness 
may challenge the admiration of the present generation, and serve as an ad- 
mirable precedent for anotlier centennial. There is a large amount of 
work to be done and a large amount of correspondence ahead, and I espe- 
cially rely upon your promptness in correspondence and your cordial co- 
operation in all of our plans. 

Fratenially, 

James E. Sener, 
Chairman Executive Committee. 



Grand Junction, Colo., January 24, 1899. 
R. ^Y. WooDBUKY, Chairman, Denver, Colorado : 

Dear Sir and Right Worshipful Brother — Your favor of the 19th inst. 
witli enclosures as statecl, came to hand Saturday evening, and I have given 
the same careful consideration. 

I feel anxious that Colorado shoiild do her part and do it generously in 
providing funds to assist in defraying the expenses of the Washington 
Memorial SeiTice. Believing tliat brethren so well versed in Masonic law 
as the members of your committee, would do nothing that could possibly 
bring any criticism upon their actions, I take pleasure in enclosing you 
herewith a commission of authority to raise the necessary funds in such a 
manner, as, in tlic wisdom of your committee, may seem best. 

Permit me to request, however, that you kindly report to me the plan 
adopted, and tlio lino of action which tlio comniittoe will jmrsuo in this 
matter. * * * * 



Centennial fIDeniorial 49 

With kindest personal regards and wishing jou abundant success in 
your undertaking, I am, 

Very fraternally, 

Horace T. DeLong, 

Grand Master. 



Grand Junction, Colorado, January 24, 1899. 
To All to Whom These Presents May Come, Greeting: 

Know ye, that I, Horace T. DeLong, Grand Master of Masons of the State of 
Colorado, reposing special trust and confidence in the fidelity, skill and Masonic 
ability of our Worshipful Brothers Roger W. Woodbury, William D. Wright and 
William D. Todd, do hereby constitute and appoint them a committee to raise, in 
the name and on behalf of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Colorado, funds to 
assist in defraying the expense assumed by the Grand Lodge of Virginia in con- 
nection with the commemoration ceremonies on the centennial anniversary of the 
death of Worshipful Brother George Washington. 

I do hereby authorize and empower them to solicit funds for this purpose 
from the Masons of Colorado, and from any and all Lodges throughout our Grand 
Jurisdiction, and for so doing this shall be their sufficient warrant. 

Given under my hand and private seal this 23d day of January, A. L. 5899, A. 
D. 1899, at Grand Junction, Colorado. 

HORACE T. DE LCfNG, 

Grand Master. 



By Authority of the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Colorado, 
A. F. and A. M. 

Denver, Colo., February 1, 1899. 

Dear Sir and Brother: 

Six years ago (1893) the Grand Master of Masons of Colorado rec- 
ommended the Grand Lodge to consider the initiation of a movement for 
the holding of national Masonic memorial exercises upon the one-hundredth 
anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington, which 
took place on the 14th of December, 1799. 



^o <Ebc llUla^binoton flDaeonic 

Tho committee of the Grniul Lodge which reported upon the reeom- 
iiicndation of the Grand Master said: * * * * 

Tlio report was unanimouslj adopted by tlie Grand Lodge, and the 
undersigned were appointed a committee to initiate the movement among 
the Grand Lodges of the United States. After three years of correspond- 
ence, taking it to 1890, so many Grand Lodges had signified their approval 
ami co-operation thai tlio Grand Lodge of Virginia was tlicn formally re- 
quested by the Grand Lodge of Colorado to take charge of all further ar- 
raugenuMits, which request was formally acceded to at the next meeting of 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia. Its committee is composed of a number of 
tlie ablest men in ]\rasonic, professional and political life in that State, and 
they expect not only that all tlie Grand Lodges of the United States will he 
represented at the Memorial, but also a considerable number of foreign 
jurisdictions. It is not improbable that the Grand Master of England, 
His Koyal Highness the Prince of Wales, will also be present. In any 
event, il will be the most general gathering of Grand Masters and represen- 
tative Masons that tlie world has ever seen. 

The Grand Lodge of Virginia will assemble on the 13th at Alexan- 
dria: from there and from Washington, the next morning, they will escort 
by river and rail all tlieir visitors to Mount Vernon, where the Memorial 
Exercises will be held. The procession and details of the exei-cises vriM 
follow as closely as circumstances will permit, the original funeral exer- 
cises of 1799, with two formal addresses, one by Brother William McKin- 
ley, President of the United States, and the other by tlie Grand Master of 
Colorado — tho latter in recognition of the origination and carrying forward 
by Colorado of the Memorial proposition until it could be successfully 
turned over to the Grand Lodge within whose jurisdictional limits repose 
Washington's remains. 



Centennial flDenioiial ?i 

The brethren of Virginia comprise but a few thousand more than 
those of our own State, and the financial obligation resting upon tliem will 
prove greater than they should be permitted to bear witliout generous sui> 
port from the Centennial State, which requested them to assume the re- 
sponsibility. Recognizing fully our duty, due largely to our primal re- 
sponsibility, and at the request of the Executive Committee from Virginia, 
we have been officially authorized by the Most Worshipful Grand Master 
of Colorado to raise not less than $1,000 towards the expenses of our breth- 
ren in Vii'ginia, which expenses will be several times that amount. 

"The Grand Lodge of the State which was admitted to the American 
Union on the hundredth anniversary of the indej^endence of the colonies 
which Washington did so much to secure," wislies to stand shoulder to 
shoulder witJb old Virginia, not niggardly as if it were an ordinary event, 
but grandly and nobly, commensurate with self resj^ect, and reverence for 
the moral, patriotic and Masonic virtues and services of the Father of Our 
Country. It can be expected that the action of our Grand Lodge in initi- 
ating this first Memorial will result in the permanent observance of the 
anniversary upon each centennial recurrence, not only by the Masonic fra- 
ternity of our o'wn country, but in time by the whole world. The early 
Masonic Lodge, which inculcated the brotherhood of man, schooled the 
colonial leaders to build a nation founded on equal rights, and it is indeed 
probable that when the Memorial Volume of this Centennial shall be pe- 
rused by the brethren in formulating their exercises at the second centen- 
nial observance, there will then be no part of the world uncivilized, and the 
American and Masonic ideas of our colonial Masons will have become so 
general that all will deem it a privilege to do Masonic honifu- to the glory 
of the first American. 

With confidence that your sentiments will be in harmony with the 
desire of our Grand Lodge, and by authority of our Grand Master, we fra- 



52 ^bc Masbinoton nDasonic 

temally solicit sueli contribution as j'oii may be willing to make toward 
maintaining Colorado's recognized repiitjition for doing well whatever it 
undertjikes. 

Subscriptions should be forwarded to citJier member of this conunit- 
tee, by whom report will be made to the Grand Master and the Grand 
Ixidge, but checks should be made payable to the order of Ed. C. Parmelee, 
Grajid Secretary. 

Fraternally yours, 

R. W. Woodbury, Chairman, 

P. O. Bo.\ 1344. 
W. D. Weight, 

615 E. & C. Building. 
W. D. Toi>D, 

P. O. Bo.x 440, Denver, Colo. 
Past Grand Masters, Committee of the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado on the Washinsrton Centennial !^^enlorial. 



Denver, Colo., September 19, 1899. 

Hon. a. K. Courtney, Chairman Committee of Arrangements, Washing- 
ton Centennial Memorial Exercises, Richmond, Virginia : 

Dear Sir and Most Worshipful Brother — I tJike plejisnre in inform- 
ing you that in accordance with my anticipations, the Grand Lodge of Colo- 
rado in Anniuil Grand Communication to-day, unanimously voted an ap- 
propriation from the Grand Treasury of $1,000 for the uses of your com- 
mittee: and ordered the iunuodiate drawing of the warrant on our Grand 
Treasurer, and the sending of a draft in favor of your Grand Treasurer. 

Our committee reported the names of one hundred Masons who had 
made personal subscriptions of ten dollars each, but this appropriation of 



Centennial riDemoilal ?3 

the Grand Lodge relieves those individual subscribers. The Grand Lodge 
believed it to be its duty, which it was glad to make effective by this appro- 
priation. There was not a word against it, but the vote was unanimous in 
the midst of not a little enthusiasm. 

As heretofore advised you and your committee, the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado is enlisted heart and soul in the work which you are doing. 

Fraternally yours, v 

E. W. Woodbury, 

Chairman. 



Richmond, Va., September 23, 1899. 
Most Worshipful R. W. Woodbury, Chairman Centennial Committee 
of Colorado : 

Dear Sir and Brother — Your favor of the 19th inst. to hand this forc^ 
noon, containing the good news of your success in securing the endorsement 
of your Grand Lodge for the $1,000. I have just returned from Washing- 
ton, where I have negotiated for the banquet and the illustrated programme, 
and tlie action of Colorado will greatly strengthen tlie committee. * * * 

Yours fraternally, 

A. R. Courtney, 
Chairman Executive Committee. 



An appendix U) tlie report of the committee to the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado, 189!), was as follows: 

Herewith we report a copy of the subscription paper heretofore men- 
tioned in this report, and the names of one hundred brethren subscribing 
ten dollars each, as follows: 

\Miereas, The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Masons of Colorado 
suggested and initiated proceedings for National Masonic Memorial Exer- 



54 ^bc Wlaebinoton flDasonic 



cisc'S t*) be lieKl on this one liundredth anniversary of the death of Worship 
fnl Brother George Washington, at Mount Vernon, and which movement 
has been approved by some fifty Masonic Grand Lodges tliroughout the 
world ; and at the request of the Grand Lodge of Colorado the Most Wor- 
shipful Grand Lodge of Virginia has undertaken full control of all the ar- 
rangements therefor; and the movement having assumed such proportions 
that it will be actively participated in by the President of the United 
States and many other prominent representative Freemasons from the Old, 
as well as tic New World, and will likely be one of, if not tlie greatest of 
events in Masonic history, and tlie Grand Lodge of Colorado being desirous 
that its bretlireji should generously aid in contributing to tlie expense of 
carrying out this important undertaking with credit to the Masonic name of 
the State and the general honor of Masonry, 

Therefore, Wo, the undersigned, hereby subscribe the sums set opposite 
our respective names to be used for the purposes above set forth, and will 
pay the same at tlie call of the committee representing the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado, to-wit: Roger W. Woodbury, William D. Wright and William 
D. Todd. 

Names. Amount. 

Wolfe Londoner $ 10.00 

W. G. Brown 10.00 

James H. Blood 10.00 

B. L. James 10.00 

W. H. Kistler 10.00 

Adolph Schinner 10.00 

Cromwell Tucker 10.00 

Edmund L. Scholtz 10.00 

W. F. Robinson 10.00 

Arthur E. Jones 10.00 

W. S. Cheesman 10.00 

Wm. D. Peirce 10.00 

Henry Bohm 10.00 

George Stidger 10.00 

Cooper & Powell 10.00 



Centennial flDcniorial 55 

Names. Amount. 

Julius A. Myers $ 10.00 

Geo. S. Van Law 10.00 

W. A. Marean 10.00 

Ed C. Parmelee 10.00 

L. N. Greenleaf 10.00 

John Chase 10.00 

Hubert L. Shattuck 10.0(1 

Horace T. DeLong 10.00 

Wm. Smedley 10.00 

Philip Feldhauser 10.00 

I. N. Stevens 10.00 

Wm. H. Sanford 10.00 

F. Dillingham 10.00 

P. J. Sours 1(1.00 

Geo. J. Besser 10.00 

William Geddes 10.00 

Ralph Talbot 10.00 

E. C. Shumway 10.00 

Melvin Edwards 10.00 

Jos. N. Stephens 10.00 

J. C. Helm 10.00 

F. J. Chamberlin 10.00 

Cass E. Herrington 10.00 

George C. Norris 10.00 

Harry B. Martin 10.00 

Jason P. LaBelle 10.00 

Benj. F. Harrington 10.00 

C. D. Cobb 10.00 

C. M. Day 10.00 

Earl M. Cranston 10.00 

Chas. M. Ford 10.00 

Jos. H. Smith 10.00 

A. B. McGaffey 10.00 

R. W. Steele 10.00 

W. W. Dale 10.00 

D. K. Lee 10.00 

William G. Erans 10.00 

Rodney Curtis 10.00 

W. W. Booth 10.00 

R. A. Kincaid 10.00 

A. L. Doud 10.00 

Frank Kratzer 10.00 

H. C. Woodworth &. Son 10.00 



56 ZTbe HClasbinoton fIDasonic 



Names. Amount. 

H. M. Orahood $ 10.00 

Ernest LeNeve Foster 10.00 

Luther H. Wygant, Jr 10.00 

Henry Apple 10.00 

Frank C. Goudy lO.i 

Durand C. Packard 10.00 

Andrew W. Gillette 10.00 

O. B. Scobey 10.00 

C. T. Linton 10.00 

J. P. Hall 10.00 

E. M. Ashley 10.00 

R. P. Rollins 10.00 

J. J. Walley 10.00 

Peter Winnc 10.00 

J. H. Montgomery 10.00 

Henry P. Steele 10.00 

Geo. L. Sites 10.00 

James H. Brown 10.00 

H. M. Teller 10.00 

William B. Greenlee 10.00 

Robert S. Roe 10.00 

Wm. K. Burchinell 10.00 

O. S. Storrs 10.00 

Benton Canon 10.00 

C. M. Kellogg l'\00 

Booth M. Malone 10.00 

M. S. Appel 10.00 

H. J. Hersey 10.00 

Wm. J. Miles 10.00 

H. A. Beard 10.00 

J. R. Saville 10.00 

Frank L. Bishop lO.On 

John Gregor 10.00 

Llewellyn-Rees 10.00 

Lewis B. France 10.00 

Geo. F. Dunklee 10.00 

J. C. Johnston 10.00 

H. J. Hernage 1 .00 

J. C. Dresser 10.00 

Frederick H. Randall 10.00 

W. D. Wright 10.00 

Roger W. Woodbury 10.00 

$1,000.00 



Centennial flDemorial 57 

After appropriation by the Grand Lodge of Colorado, a postal was 
mailed to each subscriber in the following terms : 

Denver, Colo., September 28, 1899. 
Dear Sir and Brother — The committee of the Grand Lodge of ]\Iasons 
of Colorado take pleasure in informing you that the Grand Lodge on the 
19th instant unanimously appropriated from the Grand Treasury the 
amount desired for the Washington Memorial Exercises, and esi^ecially 
thanked the brethren who had made up tlie subscription list, and whose 
names were duly reported to the Grand Lodge. You are therefore relieved 
from any liability under said subscription. 

Fraternallj^ yours, 

R. W. Woohbury, 

Chairman. 

REPORT OF THE COLORADO COMMITTEE 1899. 
To the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge : 

In 1893 the Grand Master recommended this Grand Lodge to consider 
the initiation of a movement for the holding of national Masonic Memorial 
Exercises upon the one hundredth anniversary of tlie death of Worshipful 
Brother George Washington, which took place on the 14th of December, 
1799. 

The committee of the Grand Lodge which reported upon the recom- 
mendation of the Grand Master, said : 

"The committee believes that public recognition of the services and character 
of the great and good has a salutary influence upon the lives of others, particularly 
the young, stimulating them to emulation, exalting their own efforts, and ennobling 
their characters. A due observance of the centennial of Washington's death would 
revive public interest in and disseminate knowledge of, his virtues, and in the pio- 
neer work of the fathers of the Republic who laid the foundations of our national 
government. We are taught, as Masons, to be true to the government of the 
country under which we live; and, in a broader sense than mere loyalty, we 



^8 ^bc Masbinoton flDasonic 

should be true to the principles which underlie its system. These principles were 
instilled into the American heart by fortitude, prudence, justice, hardship, ad- 
versity, perseverance, unselfishness and toil, and the best manhood today comes 
from the same source of strength. As citizens we can not too often present this 
truth to those who are striving for fame and influence through paths which are 
less noble; and we can not present it through a grander character than that Master 
Mason, on whom was bestowed the loving title of 'First in war, first in peace, and 
first in the hearts of his countrymen.' Tens of thousands of good men have had 
their favorable attention directed to Masonry because It embraces principles and 
truths which were deemed worthy of the loyalty of George Washington, and we 
are proud that it was so in his day, and is so still. We believe the Grand Lodges 
of the United States will like to unite for the purpose of doing honor to his memory, 
and that the proposition thereto will be especially appropriate from the Grand 
Lodge of the State which was admitted to the American Union on the hundredth 
anniversary of the independence of the colonies which Washington did so much to 
secure." 

The report was unanimously adopted by the Grand Lodge and a com- 
mittee was appointed to initiate the movement among the Grand Lodges of 
the United States. Aft-er three years of correspondence, taking it to 1S96, 
so many Grand Lodges had signified their approval and co-oi)eration, that 
tlie Grand Lodge of Virginia was then formally requested by this Grand 
Lodge to take charge of all arrangements, which request was fonnally ac- 
ceded to at the next meeting of tliat Grand Lodge. Its committee is com- 
posed of a ninnbcr of the ablest men in Masonic, professional and political 
life in tliat State, and they expect not only that all the Grand Lodges of the 
L'nited States will be represented at the Memorial, but also a number of 
foreign jurisdictions. It is expected to be the most general gathering of 
Grand ^Masters and Representative Masons tliat the world has ever seen. 

General Washington died at iNfiuint Vernon at twenty minutes past 
ten o'clock on Saturday, December ^A, ITOO. 

A Lodge to make arrangements for the funeral was held on the IHth 
at Alexandria. 



Centennial fiDemoiial ?9 

On the IStli, tlic Masonic fraternity, under escort of the niilitary and 
citizens of Alexandria, proceeded to Mount Vernon, and formed funeral 
procession as follows: i 

The troops, consisting of infantry, cavalry and artillery ; clergy, three 
of whom were members of the Lodge ; tlie General's horse, with saddle, hol- 
sters and pistols, led by two grooms ; music ; guard ; the body, borne on a 
bier by four Virginia lieutenants; pallbearers, all officers of the Revolu- 
tion, and all members of the Lodge No. 22 but one ; the principal mourners ; 
the corporation of Alexandria; Alexandria Lodge No. 22; Brooks Lodge 
No. 47 of Alexandria; Federal Lodge No. 15 of Washington. 

At tlie grave the services of the Episcopal Church were rendered by 
the clergy and followed by Masonic services by Washington's own Lodge 
No. 22. 

Three general volleys were discharged by the infantry, cavalry and 
eleven pieces of artillery, which lined the baidvs of the Potomac back of 
the vault. 

The order of exercises for the Centennial Memorial is as follows: 
(Here followed the programme as published later in this volume.) 

In the early part of the present year, our brethren in Virginia were 
somewhat discouraged over the contribution of funds to carry out the Me- 
morial Exercises in a manner commensurate with national dignity ; and as 
our Grand Lodge initiated the movement and placed the responsibility 
upon Virginia, they requested that we should contribute one thousand dol- 
lars so as to ensure complete success. As the brethren of Virginia number 
but a few thousand more than those of our own State, and as the expenses 
will be several times the amount requested of us, it was at once conceded 
that they should not be permitted to be unduly burdened by having ac- 
cepted a responsibility placed upon them by lis. Wc quote from our rejily 
to the Virginia committee as follows: 



6o ^be XKHasbinoton fIDasonic 

"The committee representing the Grand Lodge of Colorado desires to assure 
you, as they have heretofore done, that anything deemed necessary from us will 
be undertaken with cheerfulness and love. Our Grand Master resides several hun- 
dred miles from Denver, and we shall immediately communicate with him and 
request his permission to our raising the sum requested of us. • • • Wg antici- 
pate his willing consent, and have no doubt of our ability to comply with your 
request." 

Your Graud Master entered most heartily into the task whicli was 
placed upon us, and gave us much needed encouragement from time to time. 
We also consulted with leading brethren relative to the raising of the de- 
sired amount by subscription, and the consensus of opinion was that the 
Grand Lodge would consider it a duty, as well as a pleasure and honor, to 
pay the same from its treasury ; that having originated and carried on the 
great enterprise for three years, and having requested Virginia to take on 
itself the further labor and responsibility, and the latter having solicited 
our financial support, in excess of the pro rata requested of other Grand 
Jurisdictions because of our initiation of the Memorial, our Grand Lodge 
would not hesitate a moment in complying, and would not permit indi- 
vidual brethren to pay the money. There being, however, no authority to 
so employ our Grand Lodge funds, the committee proceeded to obtain indi- 
vidual subscriptions, so th;it in the event of the Grand Lodge's refusal, the 
honor of this Grand Jurisdiction should still be maintained. The commit- 
tee first sent out by mail requests for contributions, as a test of the efficiency 
of that method, but the results demonstrated that a personal canvass was 
necessary. The expense of visiting and canvassing other parts of the State, 
however, effectually prevented efforts for an equal distribution throughout 
the jurisdiction, and so the committee felt obliged to confine their canvass 
to the City of Denver. It is well known that soliciting committees are al- 
ways out, in Denvei-, on all kinds of missions, and Masons contribute their 
share to them all ; but we could appeal to our Masonic brethren only, and we 



Centennial flDemorial 6i 

feel that their response is deserving of more than ordinary commendation 
from the Grand Lodge which they so graciously served. There is no doubt 
that the brethren of all parts of the State would have responded with equal 
generosity, but as personal explanation of the facts was always necessary, 
at greater or less length, it was, as before stated, impracticable to reach 
them without large expense, to say nothing of the additional time that 
would have been required for your committee. We think it proper to re- 
port the names of the subscribers in full, and it is with some pride that we 
are able to report that we met with no positive refusals in obtaining one 
hundred subscribers of ten dollars each. Most of these were made upon 
the statement by your committee (after correspondence with the Grand 
Master), that they would only be called in, in case of the refusal of the 
Grand Lodge to malce the appropriation, and that tlie committee believed 
such appropriation would be made. 

This entire enterprise is in the name of our beloved Grand Lodge. 
No individual, except he who may become your Grand Master for tlie ensu- 
ing year, and who has been assigned by our Virginia brethren to divide 
the honors of oratory with the President of the United States, can receive 
any personal honor. It all belongs to the Grand Lodge of the State that 
was admitted to the American Union on the hundredth anniversary of the 
Declaration of Independence which Washington made effective. And so 
your committee believes, after conference with many of your members, that 
it will be entirely foreign to your wishes to use any of the subscriptions 
that have been made, and that you will prefer to stand shoulder to shoulder 
with old Virginia, not niggardly as if it was an ordinary event, but 
grandly, nobly and with generous self-respect, by unanimously appropri- 
ating the amount from the general treasury. So believing, we recommend 
the adoption of the following resolution : 



62 Zbc Maablnflton flPagontc ' 

"Resolved, That the Grand Secretary be, and hereby is, directed to draw a 
warrant upon the Right Worshipful Grand Treasurer for the sum of $1,000, and that 
a draft for that amount be immediately forwarded to the Treasurer of the Commit- 
tee of Arrangements at Richmond, and that such personal subscriptions as have 
been paid in, be returned by the Grand Secretary to the subscribers, with the thanks 
of this Grand Lodge for the same." 

In a former report by this committee it was recommended and the 
Grand J.odge voted, tliat all the Ix)dges in tliis Jurisdiction be requested to 
arrange for local Memorial Exercises on the anniversary of Worshipful 
Brother Washington's death. 

During the present year your Grand Master requested this committee 
•to suggest at tins annual Grand Communication a stiitable programme or 
order of exercises for use in whole or in part by the Subordinate Lodges. 
In accordance with that report, after availing themselves of valuable sug- 
gestions from the Grand Master himself, the conunittee presents the fol- 
lowing to be interspersed with such music as may be arranged by the 
Lodges : 

That where tJiere is more than one Lodge in any town or city, the 
brethren all unite in the exercises. 

That they be held on tlie day or evening of the 1-ith of December next, 
the anniversary of General Washington's death. 

That the Most Worshipful Grand Master be requested to issue gen- 
eral authority to all Lodges tliat may wish to avail themselves of the same, 
to hold their exercises in any public hall, to be attended by the public, and 
to march in procession thereto. 

That the flag of our country, draped Avith crape, be displayed in every 
Lodge room or public hall used by the Lodges during the ^lemorial Exer- 
cises. 

The reading of an account of Washington's last illness, from the dairy 
of his secretary, published in McClure's Magazine of February, 1898. 



Centennial flDemorial 63 

The reading of a jjersonal letter to the Lodges of Colorado, from the 
Worshipful Master of Alexandria- Washington Lodge, of which Washing- 
ton was the first Master under its Virginia charter, which letter iucludes 
an account of Washington's Masonic life. 

An address upon the early influence of Masonry on the development 
of the American idea of the equality of men, as expressed in the Declara- 
tion of Lidependence, and its culmination in the Independence of the 
American Colonies. 

An address on the i>ei'sonal character and public services of Wash- 
ington. 

The reading of Washington's "Farewell Address." 

We recommend tliat the foregoing programme be printed in circular 
form, without unnecessary delay, and copies thereof be forwarded by the 
Right Worshipful Grand Secretary to each Lodge in this Jurisdiction ; and 
that the letter of the Worshipful Master of Alexandi-ia-Washington Lodge 
be printed in separate form, and forwarded for reading at each Lodge. 
This letter is of especial interest, first, because coming from a brother who 
occupies the East, where Washington once presided, it seems to bridge the 
chasm of time that has elapsed since he sat with his brethren ; and second, 
because it includes an interesting account of the leading events of his Ma- 
sonic life, of the present condition of the Bible on which he was obligated, 
the chair iu which he presided, and other priceless i-elics of his connection 
with Freemasonry. This letter was prepared by the Master of that Lodge 
at our request, for the purpose of being used by our Lodges as herein rec- 
ommended. 

We consider that the holding of local Memorial Exercises in all the 
Lodges of the United States will be of equal or even greater effect, in re- 
viving public interest iu the virtues of our great countr\anan, as the na- 
tional exercises at Mount Vernon; and to foster such exercises in other 



64 Cbe Masbinflton flDasonic 



Jurisdictions, we recommend that the Grand Secretary be instructed to for- 
ward copies of this programme in advance of our regular proceedings, to 
tlie Grand Masters and Grand Secretaries of all Grand Lodges with which 
we are in correspondence. 

We further recommend that the proceedings of this annual Grand 
Communication contain a memorial page as a frontispiece, with the fol- 
lowing inscription : 



TO THE MEMORY 

of 

WORSHIPFUL BROTHER GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

Inscribed 

on the 

Centennial of His Death 

by the 

M. W. Grand Lodge, A. F. & A. M. 

of tlie 

State of Colorado ; 

Which was admitted to the 

Union of States 

on the 

Centennial of the Declaration 

of Independence, 

Which was made effective by 

WASHINGTON, 

Through his practice of tlie various 

MASONIC VIRTUES. 



I 



Centennial flDemorial 65 

This comnuttee has had a copy made of its correspondence, which 
with the original letters to it, and the reports and circulars that have ema- 
nated from Colorado and Virginia, compose an historical account of the 
movement from its inception in 1893, and all these have been bound into 
a volume for preservation. This volume, which will develop historical 
interest and value, we will now deliver to the Grand Secretary. 

In conclusion, Most Worshipful Grand Master and brethren, after 
six years of service upon this most interesting subject, your committee de- 
sires to briefly trench upon the realms of prophecy : 

The proposed Memorial Exercises at Mount Vernon and in all the 
Lodges of the United States, will constitute tlie most prominent feature in 
all the daily papers of the country upon the succeeding day. Millions of 
people will be brought into close knowledge and sympathy with the gov- 
erning principles of our forefathers; and their sentiments will be favor- 
ably turned to Masomy, as something which Washington and his patriotic 
contemjx)raries loved, and found worthy of their own connection with. 
Greater than any mere prosperity to the fraternity itself, will develop a 
popular perception, now scarcely recognized, of the intimate relations ex- 
isting between Masonry and the pi'ogress of the woi'ld. 

The action of our Grand Lodge in initiating this Memorial will long 
appear in its history as the most beautiful jewel that sparkles in a crown. 
It will result in the observance of the anniversary upon each centennial re- 
currence, not only by the Masonic fraternity of our o-wn country, but in 
time by the whole world. The early Masonic Lodge which inculcated the 
brotherhood of man, schooled the colonial leaders to build a nation founded 
on equal rights, and when the memorial volume of this centennial shall 
be perused by our brethren in formulating their exercises one hundred 



66 ZTbc ItUladbinaton HDasonic 



years from now, there will tlien be no part of the inhabited world unci\nl- 
ized; and the ideas of our colonial Masons will have become so universal 
that men of all nations will deem it a privilege to journey to Mount Ver^ 
non to do Masonic honor to the Memory of the First American. 

Roger W. Woodbury, 
William D. Wrioiit, 
William D. Todd, 

Committee. 



1 



I 




HENllV M. Tlii^LKU, 

Past Grand Master of Colorado. 

Siu'cial Ucpresi'iitative to Washington Centennial Meniot-jal l-'xei-cises. 

Mount Vernon. December Mth. isna. 



Exercises at 
Mount Vernon 




ALPHUNSK A. UlllNAN'D. 

Grand Master of Ciiliirad.). 1S9S. 

Who Di'livered One of the Three Addresses at Mount Vernon, 

December H, 1S99. 



Centennial flDeniorial 69 



Exercises at Mount Vernon, 



GRAND MASTER'S ADDRESS AT ALEXANDRIA. 

At the annual Grand Communication of the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia, held at Alexandria, Va., December 13, 1899, the evening preceding 
the exercises at Mount Vernon, officers from all Grand Jurisdictions were 
called upon for remarks. Grand Master A. A. Burnand of Colorado was 
inti'oduced, received with grand honors, and spoke as follows: 

Most Worshipful Grand Master and Brethren of the Grand Lodge of Virginia: 

It gives me great pleasure to meet with you upon this occasion, because of the 
joy one must feel in visiting a sister Grand Jurisdiction, engaged in the great work 
of spreading the cement of brotherly love, and because of the opportunity it affords 
me to thank you on behalf of the Grand Lodge of Colorado for the special mark of 
honor assigned to our Jurisdiction in to-morrow's Memorial Exercises. In accept- 
ing the kind and fraternal distinction, I said to your Grand Master that I fully appre- 
ciate the reason why we were selected for special honors; that I was also mindful 
of the fact that, had the idea not originated with Colorado, it would have pre- 
sented itself to your own or some other Jurisdiction long before December 14, 1S99. 
Above all things. Masons love constancy and fidelity of purpose, inflexible 
courage, tempered with charity, sacrifices made in the interest of a common hu- 
manity. In all these virtues, who pointed the way like unto Washington? It is for 
these reasons that I said that had the idea not been presented by Colorado, it 
would have been by some other Grand Lodge, for Masons do not forget their dead, 
especially those who, like our brother, willingly ventured their all for the common 
good when duty called. And this at a time when failure meant the loss of all real 
and personal property, civil rights, and life itself. I can not conceive that the 
centenary of his death would have passed without national observance: for, though 



70 (Ebe Masblnoton flDaeonic 

childless himself, the country loves to call him father. The honor which your 
kindness conferred upon our Jurisdiction is doubly appreciated, inasmuch as it was 
entirely unexpected, for I assure you that the brother who first spoke the word 
which has resulted in this great patriotic gathering of Freemasons from the East, 
the West, the North and South, did it purely out of love for country and its 
greatest man. 

Realizing that you are all desirous of seeing and hearing from this brother, I 
trust your Most Worshipful Grand Master will at some time during the evening call 
upon Most Worshipful Brother Roger W. Woodbury, and I gladly resign to him such 
further time as may be allotted to Colorado. Let me again assure you that I feel 
greatly honored in visiting the Grand Lodge of that great Commonwealth which 
nurtured, maintained and honored our Washington. 



GENERAL ORDERS. 
Headqdakters of Grand Mabsiial. Enr.iTT House, 

Washington, D. C, December 8, 1899. 

I. The undersigned, having been appointed by the Grand Master of 
Virginia as Grand Marshal, to conduct the ceremonies commemorating the 
one hundredth anniversary of the death of Worshipful George Washing- 
ton, December 14, 1899, as.sumes command and announces, for the infor- 
mation of all concerned, the following appointments : 

Aides. 

James Parke Corbin, Fredericksburg. Va. 
S. K. Donohoe, Fairfax County, Va. 
Harry Hodges, Norfolk, Va. 
Edi;ar Warfield. Alexandria, Va. 
Edward S. Conrad, Harrisonburg, Va. 
William H. Sands, Kiehmond, Va. 

II. The following are the orders for the organization, movement, 
and dismissal of Masonic bodies participating in these ceremonies: 



Centennial flDemorial 7> 

III. Master Masons of the District of Cohmibia, except Federal 
Lodge JSTo. 1, will form line on tlie west side of Fourteenth street, facing 
east, between Pennsylvania avenue and F street N. W., right resting on 
Pennsylvania avenue. 

IV. All visiting Master Masons in the District of Columbia will as- 
semble at 8 o'clock a. m., and form line on the east side of Fourteenth 
street, facing west, between Pennsylvania avenue and F street iST. W., 
right resting on F street. 

V. Federal Lodge No. 1, of Washington, D. C, will fonu line on 
the south side of F street, facing north, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth 
streets N. W., right of line resting on Fourteenth street, and will be re- 
ported to the Grand Marshal for assignment to position. 

VI. Grand Masters and Representatives of Grand Lodges of juris- 
dictions outside of the District of Cohunbia will be ready to take carriages 
at 8 o'clock a. m. at the F street entrance of the Ebbitt House; carriages 
will be formed in columns of twos on Fourteenth street facing south, be- 
tween F street and Pennsylvania avenue, head of column resting on Penn- 
sylvania avenue. 

VII. Officers of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, under 
charge of the Grand Marshal, will assemble at Masonic Temple, prepared 
to take carriages at 8 o'clock a. m., and follow in rear of the carriages of 
the visiting Grand Masters and Representatives of Grand Lodges of Juris- 
dictions outside of the District of Columbia. 

VIII. As thus organized, this column, in the order above mentioned, 
will proceed by way of Fourteenth street to Pennsylvania avenue, to Sev- 
enth street, thence to the wharf of the Mount Venion and Marshall Hall 
Steamboat Company, where they will go aboard the steamer for conveyance 
to Mount Vernon. 



72 ^be TRIlaebiiuiton flDasonic 



IX. The Grand Lodge of Virginia will form on King street, in the 
city of Alexandria, Thursday, Poceniber 14, 1S99, at 9 o'clock a. m., the 
head of the column at tlie opera house, and in order, from front to rear, as 
follows : 

Master Masons. 

Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22. 

Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4. 

Oflicei-s of the Grand Lodge of the State of Virginia. 

Grand Master of Virginia. 

The column will proceed to the landing of the Mount Vernon and 
Marshall Hall Steamboat Company, wheiv thoy will go aboard the steamer 
for conveyance t*> Moimt Vernon. 

X. In order that the column at Mount Vernon may be organized as 
indicated below, it will lx> necessary that the steamer conveying Masons 
from tlu> District of Columbia make the tirst landing at Mount Vernon 
wliarf. The steamer conveying the Masons from Virginia will remain at 
tJie wharf to embark the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which will be tlie first 
t-o tiike steamer at the close of tlie ceremonies. 

XT. On disembarking at Mount Vernon wharf, the procession will 
be formed in the following order: 

Third United States Cavalry Band. 

Grand Tiler of tlie Grand Lodge of Virginia. 

blaster ^fasons of the District of Columbia. 

Visiting Master Masons. 

Master Masons of Virginia. 

Federal Lodge No. 1 of Washington. D. C. 

Fredericksburg Lodge Xo. 4, of FrtHlericksburg, Va. 

Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, of Alexandria. Va. 

Grand ifastors. 

Grand Officers. 



Centennial fIDemorfal 73 

Grand Representatives of Jurisdictions outside of the District of 
Columbia. 

Officers of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. 

Officers of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 

Grand Master of Virginia. 

XII. The procession as thus formed will then move by way of the 
Mansion, where the President of the United States will enter the column, 
when the line of the funeral procession of one hundred years ago will be 
followed. On arriving at the old vault, the ranks will be opened, facing 
inward, and the Grand Master of Virginia and invited guests — Alexandria- 
Washington Lodge No. 22, Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 and Federal Lodge 
No. 1 — will pass between the ranks which will then be closed. The 
Grand Master of Colorado will make his address from a platform at the old 
vault, after which tlie procession will again form, with tlie Grand Master 
of Virginia, Grand Officers, and invited guests, together with the three 
Lodges named, leading, and proceed to the present tomb — the Grand Mas- 
ter of Virginia and other Grand Officers taking a position in front of the 
tomb as assigiied by programme of Grand Lodge of Virginia ; Alexandria- 
Washington Lodge No. 22 on right, Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 on left, 
and Federal Lodge No. 1 in rear of Grand Master of Virginia. Ranks will 
again be opened, facing inward, and the Master Masons in rear will then 
move forward between these ranks, thus reversing tlie column, and will 
thence move in circle to the right around the tomb enclosing the Masonic 
bodies above mentioned. 

After the ceremonies at the present tomb the procession will again be 
formed and proceed in the original order to the Mansion, where the Presi- 
dent of the United States will make an address, after introduction by the 
Grand Master of Virsjinia. 



74 ^be Masbinflton fIDasonic 

y 

XIII. At the conclusion of the President's address the column will 
again be formed and will proceed in the original order to the wharf, ^^^len 
the head of the column arrives near the wharf the column will be halted, 
ranks opened facing inward, and the Grand Master of Virginia, officers of 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia, Alexandria-Washington Lodge Xo. 22 of 
Alexandria, Va., Fredericksburg Lodge Xo. 4, of Fredericksburg. Va., and 
the Master Masons of Virginia, in the order named, will pass through the 
ranks and proceed aboard the steamer for conveyance to and dismissal at the 
original place of assembly. 

XIV. The above embarkation having been accomplished, the corre- 
sponding bodies from the District of Columbia, beginning from the rear, 
will pass between the remaining open ranks and take steamer for ^Vash- 
ington, D. C, where the column will be formed in its original order and 
proceed through the same streets to original place of assembly, where it will 
be dismissed without formal orders. 

1. At Fort Washington a gun will be fired every half hour beginning 
at sunrise and ending at sunset. 

2. As the procession moves into Mount Vernon grounds, a platoon 
of Light Battery M, 7th U. S. Artillery, from Washington Barracks, will 
fire twenty-one minute guns. 

3. At the conclusion of ceremonies at the new tomb, the firing party, 
composed of a detachment from Battery A, 4th U. S. Artillery, Fort Hunt, 
Va.. will fire tliree volleys. 

4. At the conclusion of the Pi-esident"s address, twenty-one guns will 
be fired by the L. S. S. Sylph, anchored in the river. 

5. Taps will be sounded. 

Grand Masters, officers of Grand Lodges and Representatives of Grand 
Lodges will wear their official clothing and jewels. 



Centennial flDemorial 7? 

Master Masons must be properly clothed — black clothes, black hat, 
white apron and white gloves. The apron to be worn outside the coat. 

Grand Masters, Grand Officers and Grand Representatives of Grand 
Lodges outside of the State of Virginia and the District of Columbia will 
report to the Grand Marshal at the Ebbitt House, Washington, D. C, upon 
their arrival in the city, to register and report the number of Master Ma- 
sons accompanying them, and to receive information and instructions. 

Aides and Assistant Aides assigned for duty in Alexandria, Va., will 
report to Grand Marshal at headquarters in Alexandria, at 8 :30 a. m., 
December 14. 

Aides and Assistant Aides assigned for duty in Washington, D. C, 
will report to the Grand Marshal at headquarters, Ebbitt House, at 7 :30 
a. m., December 14. 

Space has been reserved, during the ceremonies, on the grounds at 
Mount Vernon for the wives and daughters of Master Masons. Admis- 
sion to same by card to be obtained only of the Grand Marshal at Ebbitt 
House, December 12 and 13. 

Arrangements have been made for the accommodation of the press, 
and cards of admission within the lines will be issued by the Grand INTar- 
shal, at the Ebbitt House, December 12 and 13. 

Master Masons (and ladies accompanying them) must secure trans- 
lx)rtation to Mount Vernon prior to the morning of the 14th, at the follow- 
ing places: Grand Opera House, Alexandria, Va. ; Masonic Temple, Wash- 
ington, D. C. ; Headquarters Grand Marshal, Ebbitt House, Washington, 
D. C. 

RoBT. White, 

Official: Grand Marshal. 

Haeky Standiford, 

Assistant Grand Marshal. 



76 



Cbc Ma?binoton ni>a£>on(c 



PROGRAMME. 

The Grand Mastei-s ami ropvosontatives of the several jurisdictions 
attending tJie Centennial Ceremonies, and all other Masons desiring to par- 
ticipate will, on December 14, 1899, leave Washington, D. C, for Mount 
\ornon, at 9:30 a. m., in steamere engaged by tJie committee for that pur- 
]Kiso and touch at Alexandria, for the Grand Lodge of Virginia and their 
families, arriving at Mount Vernon about 11 o'clock a. m. The procession 
and entire ceremonies will bo in charge of the following officers: Colonel 
Robert Whit*?, of \Mieeling, W. Va.. Grand Marshal; Harrv Standiford, 
of Washington, IX C, Assistj\nt (ivaud ^larslial. Aides — James Parke 
Corbin, of Fredericksburg, Va. ; S. R. Donohoe, of Fairfax Countv, Va. ; 
Edgar Warfield, Sr., of Alexandria, Va. ; Edward S. Conrad, of Harri- 
sonburg, Va. ; William II. Sands, of Richmond. Va. ; TIarrv Ilodges, of 
Norfolk, Va. 

At Mount Vernon the Masonic bodies will form together with die in- 
vited guests on the east side of the Mansion and proceed to the old vault, by 
the same patli and in tlie same order in which the procession was fonned 
and moved on the day of Greneral Washington's funeral, December IS, 
1799. At the old vault the services will be conducted as follows : 

Solenm dirge by the band. 

Prayer by Brother, the Right Rev. A. M. Randolph, Bishop of the 
Sontlieni Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. 

Music bv an octettei from the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. 

Addi-ess by the Grand Master of Masons of Colorado. 

After the address of the Graiul Master of Colorado, at the old vault, 
the procession will nu\rch to the t^uub in which are now dejxisited the re- 
mains of Washington. 

The Grand Mastei-s of the thirteen original St^ites (or their represen- 
tatives) will then st^uul in a line in front of the tomb, facing out, TIu^ 



Centennial flDemorial 77 

Grand Masters of other States and Foreign Jurisdictions (or their repre- 
sentatives) in a half circle facing them. The Grand Lodge and other 
brethren in a circle around the tomb, joining hands. 

After prayer by the Grand Chaplain the Grand Master of Virginia 
will then say: 

My brethren, one hundred years ago the Supreme Architect of the 
Universe removed from the terrestrial to the celestial Lodge our brother, 
George Washington. About his tomb we assemble to-day in our character 
as Masons to testify tliat time has not weakened our veneration for his 
memory, nor years brought forgetfulness of his virtues. From the East 
and West, from the North and South, from the Isles of the Sea, Masons 
have come to-day to mark the first century of his departure from earth to 
Heaven. 

My brother, the Grand Master of Massachusetts, what message do you 
bring us to-day ? 

Grand Master of Massachusetts : From the Commonwealth where Lex- 
ington and Concord and Bunker Hill were fought; from the Cradle of 
American Freedom, I bring greetings of veneration and respect, and a 
wreath of leaves from the elm under which he took command of the armies 
of freedom. Washington and Adams and Warren sleep, but liberty is yet 
awake. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Rhode 
Island, have you a message for us ? 

Grand Master of Rhode Island: From the Old Plantations I bring 
you a greeting to the immortal memory of our greatest dead. Great men 
die, but great principles are eternal. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Connec- 
ticut, what is your message? 



78 ^be Masblnoton flDasonic 



Grand Master of Connecticut: The same blood runs in the veins of 
those who made tlie oak the treasure hoiise of their charter. The spirits of 
Roger Sherman and Israel Putnam hail that of their great compatriot. 
Hail — never to say farewell ! 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of New 
Hampshire, we await your message. 

Grand Master of Xew Hampshire : Of old sat Freedom on the heights ; 
her dwelling place is with us yet The land of Stark greets these ashes as 
the Temple in which once dwelt the Father of American Freedom. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Xew 
York, what greeting do you give us ? 

Grand Master of Xew York : The Empire State hails the memory of 
him who might have been king, and would not- The land of Hamilton, 
his councillor; of Jay, his Chief Justice, brings to his memory love and 
veneration. 

Grand Master of Virginia: My brother, the Grand Master of Xew 
Jersey, have you a message ? 

Grand Master of Xew Jersey: Monmouth and Trenton and Prince- 
ton knew him. Valley Forge yet remembers his prayers, and the endur- 
ance of the heroes whom he led. The soul-stirring peals of the bell which 
proclaimed Liberty from its tower in Philadelphia, the birthplace of Inde- 
pendence, are still sounding through our land testimonials that the mem- 
ory of Washington is imperishable. Xo Commonwealth cherishes more 
faithfully his illustrious name. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Dela- 
ware, have you a message I 

Grand Master of Delaware: Where is the Commonwealth in whose 
borders he is not reverenced ? I bring you to-day the love and veneration 
of my people, as true now as in 1776. 



Centennial flDemorial 79 

Grand Master of Virginia: My brother, the Grand Master of Mary- 
land, your greeting ? 

Grand Master of Maryland : From the mountains to the Chesapeake 
his fame dwells secure. But a river divides his birthplace and his tomb 
from our Commonwealth. All the seas could not divide us from our love 
and admiration of his memory. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of North 
Carolina, what testimonial do you bring ? 

Grand Master of North Carolina: His memory is as green to-day as 
the verdure of our pine trees. His fame as enduring as our everlasting 
hills. Cowpens, and King's Mountain and Guilford. We brought him 
these. We bring him to-day tlie love of sons as faithful as their sires. 

Grand Master of Virginia: My brother, the Grand Master of South 
Carolina, what say you ? 

Grand Master of South Carolina: Sumter and Jasper and Marion 
were ours. Washington was no less ours, for he made their victories com- 
plete. I bring you this palmetto for your wreath. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Georgia, 
your message ? 

Grand Ma.ster of Georgia: Last, but not least of the thirteen! Pu- 
laski's blood enriched our soil ! Washington was ours as he was yours. 
Peace to these ashes and peace to the land he loved. 

All of the Grand Masters : Enlighten us with Thy Light everlasting, 
Oh, Father ; and grant unto us perpetual jjeace. 

The Craft : So mote it be. Amen. 

Grand Master of Virginia : My brother, the Grand Master of Maine, 
what say yoii ? 

Grand Master of Maine: The granite hills shall perish before the 
memory of his greatness shall pass away. We yield to no Commonwealth 
in our love for Washington. 



8o (ibc "WHasbinoton fiDasonic 



Grand Master of Virginia : What says the South ? 

The Grand Masters of Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Ala- 
bama and Tennessee in union : Pine trees and palnis ; broad prairies and sa- 
vannahs ; the Mighty Father of Waters. All these knew of his greatness ; 
all these claim him as tlie Father of tlieir Liberties. 

Grand Master of Virginia : What say the States once part of old Vir- 
ginia — Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia i 

Grand Masters in union: Masons throughout our mountains, valleys 
and prairies honor and revere the memory of (Jeorge Washington, and bow 
around his tomb in gratitude for his services to the land he loved, and to 
the cause of Masonry to whicli he devoted his earliest and latest manhood. 

Grand Master of Virginia : ^Miat savs the West ? 

The Grand Masters from all the Western States, in union: We, too, 
are children of the Father of His Country. Here we proclaim our love for 
his memory and thankfulness for his life. 

Grand Master of Virginia : The Nortli, the South, the East, and the 
West have spoken. J>ut Washington belongs not to any one clime or 
people. What say you, my brethren of other lands ? Lands foreign the 
cowan may call you, but in the name of Masonry, I hail you as our own. 

Grand blaster of England (or his representative) here makes such re- 
sponse as he may deem best, followed by responses from other Jurisdictions 
outside of the United States. 

The Grand Masters (or their representatives) and the Craft then re- 
peat in alternate verse the following: 

Grand Masters: Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place from one 
generation to another. 

The Craft: Before the mountains were brought forth or ever Thou 
hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting. 
Thou art God. 



I 

i 



Centennial flDemovial 8i 

Grand Masters : For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yester- 
day when it is past and as a watch in the night. 

The Craft : For we are consumed by Thy anger, and by Thy wrath are 
we troubled. 

Grand Masters : The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and 
plenteous in mercy. 

The Craft : He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us 
according to our iniquities. 

Grand Masters: As far as the East is from the West so far hath He 
removed our transgressions from us. 

The Craft : As for man, his days are as grass, as the flower of the field, 
so he flourisheth. 

Grand Masters : For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the 
place thereof shall know it no more. 

The Craft: But the mercy of the Lord is from Everlasting to Ever- 
lasting upon them that fear Him and His righteousness unto children's 
children. 

Grand Masters : The faithful are minished from the earth. 

The Craft : But the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. 

Grand Masters : Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His 
saints. 

The Craft : The Lord knoweth the days of the upright ; and their in- 
heritance shall be forever. 

Grand Masters : \Vlio hath raised up the righteous man from the East, 

called him to His foot, gave the nations before him and made him rule over 

kings ? Wlio gave them as dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his 
bow? 

The Craft: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 
Grand Masters : So teach us to number our days that we may apply our 
hearts unto wisdom. 



82 Zbc Masbinflton flDasonic 



The Craft: Oh. satisfy us early with Thy mercy that we may rejoice 
aiiil bo ghul all our days. 

Grand AEasters: Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants and Thy 
glory unto their children. 

The Craft: And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and 
establish Thou the work of our hands uix>n us ; yea, the work of our hands 
establish Thou it. 

The Grand blaster of the District of Columbia (representing the At- 
lantic States) : This lambskin or white leather apron is an emblem of inuo- 
Ct'uce and the time-honored badge of a Free and Accepted Mason. Kings 
have not disdained it; princes have been proud to wear it. Washington 
wore it, aiid its spotless form lay upon his coffin a century ago. I deposit 
it here in remembrance of this beloved brothei- — a workman who in no re- 
sjiect was ever unworthy of his work. 

The Grand ^Faster of Missouri ( repi-esenting the Central States): 
This glove is a token of friendship. I dejKvsit it here as an evidence that 
death only breaks the handclasp. The tie which binds the heart of man to 
the heart of man remains unbroken forever and forever. 

The Grand Master of California (representing the Western States) : 
This evergreen is an emblem of the Masonic faitli in the resurrection of the 
body and the immortality of the soul. I deposit it here in the confidence 
of a certain faith, in the reasonable religious and holy hojx" that the dead 
body eueoffinetl here will at the last day arise a glorious form to meet our 
Grod. To whom be glory and honor and power and majesty and might and 
dominion now and for evermore. 

The Craft : Amen ! 

All of the Grand blasters : Oh, Death, where is thy sting ? 

The Craft : Oh. Grave, where is thv victorv i 



3 

2 
a 



» c 



3 



•„ 3 a X 







Centennial fiDemorial 83 

The Grand Masters then dei^osit their wreaths or evergreens and the 
Craft slowly march past the tomb, depositing the evergreens. 

After which the brethren will proceed to the Mansion, where Brother 
William McKinley, after being appropriately introduced by tlie Grand 
Master of Virginia, will deliver an address, and the ceremonies at Mount 
Vernon will be closed with an appropriate benediction by Brother Ed. TST. 
Calisch, rabbi of Beth Ahaba Synagogue, Kichmond, Va. 

The Masons and their families will then return to Washington on the 
steamers, and from 9 to 11 o'clock that night a reception will be held at 
Willard's Hotel, comer Pennsylvania avenue and Fourteenth street, by the 
Grand Masters and other distinguished Masons who will be present, includ- 
ing, as we hope, President McKinley. Wliile the reception is going on in 
the spacious parlors of Old Willard's, on the upper floor, a buffet banquet 
will be spread in the grand dining room below, of which guests may par- 
take at their pleasure. 

Upon the retirement of the guests and the receiving party on this oc- 
casion will end the ceremonies of the one himdredth anniversary of the 
death of the grandest man the world has ever produced, and a devoted Ma- 
son from his manhood to his grave. 

GRAND MASTER BURNAND'S ADDRESS AT MOUNT VERNON. 

Most Worshipful Grand Master, Brother Mr. President and Brethren: 

We have assembled to-day from every part of our great land in the 
character of Freemasons, not for ostentatious display, but to offer to the 
memory of our Brother a renewal of that heartfelt homage and sincere 
tribute of reverance and affection which our brethren and countrymen felt, 
when one hundred years ago, they laid him to rest in that peace which the 
world can neither give nor take away. Love and admiration are due from 



84 ttbe Masbinfiton fiDasonic 

us, not only as Freemasons, but as citizens of this great republic, for whose 
liberty .iiid life he gave those years which are usually devoted by men to 
the pursuit of personal interest. The revolution was the development in 
America of the old spirit of the Commons of England, protesting, resisting, 
and tlien fighting for their reasonable rights. From the extreme north to 
the extreme Soutli, Liberty became the watchword of patriots. Its cradle 
was rocked at Lexington, and it inatured in Philadelphia, when the old bell 
proclaimed tlio birtii and iii(li'j)endence of a iialidii. Thrilling as arc all 
these memories, they pale at the thought that the embodiiiiont of all Colo- 
nial courage, skill, wisdom, hope and resolve lies buried here. Here 
silently rests that grand personality, that reserved force, that unmatched 
courage and individiudity which made a possibility a reality, and in spite 
of adversity, defeat, internal dissensions and a cabal, gave a glorious name 
and honored grave to every officer and soldier of the Continentiil .Vrmy. 

That our brother would have been a great and good man under any cir- 
cumstances, the whole world knows, for I believe man is born great. Lie 
may see the light of day in an obscure house, in an unknown hamlet, his 
early life may offer opportunity but for the simplest education, but the un- 
erring hand of destiny will guide him over all obstacles until he reaches the 
niche of fame intended for him. 

Thus our brother was one of those rare beings whom God places among 
his people on occasions as beacons to diffuse His light uixui the path of hu- 
man progress. Our country has had, has now, and will continue to have, 
great men, but I believe God intended but one Washington, as he intended 
but one Lincoln. Each was unique in his place and viewed in the light of 
the present day each seems to have been created for his particular sphere. 
We know tlu> teachings of our Craft had nevertheless more or less influence 
upon Washington's life. He was initiated at an age when tlie mind is 
easily impressed, when ideas have not become fixed, when youth merges 



Centennial nDemorial 85 

into manhood and young manhood is inspired with noble and beautiful re- 
solves. It would indeed be strange if the time honored and tried tenets of 
Masonry had not left lasting impressions upon his well ordered mind. I 
hold it impossible for a sincere upright man to receive the degrees of Free- 
masonry and not emerge with a broader view of his purpose upon earth. 
The maxim that all men are created equal is of greater antiquity than the 
Declaration of Independence, and it was instilled into the hearts of Free- 
masons for generations before that immortal manifesto was published ; and 
so we may be assured that the beautiful lessons and sublime truths taught 
by Freemasonry exerted great influence in the development of those quali- 
ties which made Washington the friend and counsellor of tlie people and 
enabled him during forty years of public life to deal justly and equitably 
by all. They gave him strength during the dark hours of Brandywine 
and Germantown, and endowed him with fortitude for the awful days of 
Valley Forge; for the faitliful Mason maintains his trust in God and his 
faith in the ultimate triumj:)h of right over might. 

There is a shrine in every land from which radiates an infinity of gos- 
samer threads of tenderness ; and here at Mount Vernon, the place of Wash- 
ington's repose, is the Mecca that appeals to Americans. It is the cradle 
of Patriotism, the soul of solemnity, the fountain of inspiration. No 
American education is finished until this tomb has been visited. No 
father who loves his boy and hopes to see his name enrolled among the wise 
and virtuous of his countrymen, dare forget the priceless resolves that here 
have birth. No man is equipped to do duty as a legislator or even as a 
voter, who has not bared his head before tliis tomb, and received the inspi- 
ration that thrills the soul. Here, too, is the one place above all others 
for introspection. Here the conscience should be no stranger but a famil- 
iar friend. Here, too, should be reviewed the history of our land — its vic- 
tories and its errors, from the work laid OTit by this immortal chief and 



86 ^bc Masbinoton flDasonic 



carried on :it his deatJi by his compatriots, and tlien by sons nurtured of the 
same stock, each striving for the best interest of the principles annunciated 
in 1776 to the culmination of the war of humanity in 1898, when the last 
stains of despotism and oppression were wijwd out in the Western Hemis- 
phere with the blood of the !N'ation's sons. 

Unliappily there are many who subvert great principles conceived in 
the interest of humanity to gratify personal ambition and aggrandizement. 
Such individual or parties not only lose sight of the lessons taught by the 
Fathers of American Freedom, that the noblest motive should ever be the 
public good, but they also advance us one step towards skepticism, which is 
always fraught with danger, for when men lose faith in God they also lose 
faith in themselves, and if that time should ever arrive, which God forbid, 
then farewell thou dear land of liberty, tJie home of the free and the brave, 
land of Washington and his confreres, now sepulchre of all their hopes and 
ambitions. Bretliren, I wish we could all carry with us from this place a 
patriotism, love of country and fellowTuan, which would enable lis to al- 
ways place our country's interest in the van of our own, a trait which would 
elevate us upon a plane far above that of we^alth. social ambition or political 
glory. Let us tlien on the eve of the Twentieth Century. uix>n this gi-ound 
sanctified by the memory and ashes of that great man and brother who left 
his impression upon the world for all time, resolve to imitate his unselfish 
example and so leave our children that richest of endoAvments, a life devoted 
to God, country and home. Let us consider our mortal existence as a pro- 
bation, a step, a trial for a more perfect one. Just what that is, need not 
disturb us, for if we follow the teachings of our Great Light and fulfill our 
duty to God and man we can safely le^ive the hereafter in the hands of Him 
who has ever blessed our efforts and prospered us as a nation. 

We are born for greater destinies than those of earth, and unlike our 
ancient brethren, we build not of things material, but spiritual. The house 



Centennial flDemorlal 87 

which we are erecting will stiiiid to the end of time, but the two great pil- 
lars of our Craft, the one truth, the other brotherly love, must be grounded 
upon this life, and if we continue as the builders of old, animated by the 
same spirit which pi-ompted them, no doubt but that the great crowning 
arch of our fraternity, Cliarity, will be lost in Heaven and the cope stone 
placed therein by the Heavenly Host. 

The State I represent lies among the pine-clad hills and snow-capped 
mountains of our great country, and within the memory of man some of our 
national legislators offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty for 
placing the mountains there, projwsed drawing a line along the ridge mark- 
i:ig the western limits of the republic, and upon the highest peak thereof 
wished they to erect a statue to the fabled God Terminus, never to be pulled 
do\vii. And to-day we also thank God for jilacing the "stony mountains" 
there, for by the jjerseverance, pluck and endurance displayed by the pio- 
neers of forty years ago, among the first and foremost of whom were many 
of our brethren, tliis uninviting portion of our public domain has been 
ti'ansformed into the chief treasure house of the nation, as well as into a 
beautiful commonwealth, and was admitted to our great Union of States on 
the one hundredth anniversary of the independence of tlie colonies, which 
our brother did so much to foster and secure. From there T bring you 
upon this occasion the greeting and this immortelle, from a Community of 
our brotherhood whose love for country and our illustrious great brother is 
as pure and immutable as the eternal snows which envelop their moun- 
tain.s. And now let me close with the words of one of our immortals: 

"Lord of the TTniverse! shield us and guide us. 

Trusting Thee always, through shadow and sun. 
Thou hast united us, who shall divide us ? 
Keep us, oh keep us, the many in one." 



88 Zl)c Masbinoton flDasonic 

ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT BROTHER WILLIAM McKINLEY AT 

MOUNT VERNON. 

We have just participated in a service commemorative of the one hun- 
dredth anniversary of the death of George Washington. Here at his old 
home, which he loved so well, and which the patriotic women of the country 
have guarded with loving hands, exercises are conducted under the auspices 
of the great fraternity of Masons, which a century ago planned and exe- 
cuted the solemn ceremonial which attended the Father of His Country to 
his tomb. The Lodge in which he was initiated and the one over which he 
afterward presided as Worshipful Master, accorded positions of honor at 
his obsequies, are to-day represented here in token of profound respect to 
the memory of their most illustrious member and beloved brother. 

Masons throughout the United States testify anew their reverence for 
the name of Washington and the inspiring example of" his life. Distin- 
guished representatives are here from all the Grand Lodges of the country 
to render the ceremonies as dignified and impressive as possible, and most 
cordial greetings have come from across our borders and from beyond the 
sea. 

Not alone in this country, but throughout the world, have Masons 
taken especial interest in the observance of this Centennial Anniversary. 
The fraternity justly claims the immortal patriot as one of its members; 
the whole human family acknowledges him as one of its greatest benefac- 
tors. Public bodies, patriotic societies and other organizations, our citi- 
zens everywhere, have esteemed it a privilege to-day to pay their tribute to 
his memory and to the splendor of his achievements in the advancement of 
justice and liberty among men. "His fair fame, secure in its immortality, 
shall shine through countless ages with undiminished luster." 

The struggling Republic for which Washington was williuff to give his 
life and for which lie ever freely spent his fortune, and whicli at nil times 







a 2 
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I 



I 



Centennial flDemorial 89 

was the object of his most earnest solicitude, has steadily and wonderfully 
developed along the lines which his sagacity and foresight carefully 
planned. It has stood every trial, aud at the dawn of a new century is 
stronger than ever to carry forward its mission of liberty. During all the 
intervening years it has been true, forever true, to the precejjts of the Con- 
stitution which he and his illustrious colleagues framed for its guidance 
and government. He was the national architect, says Bancroft, the his- 
torian, and but for him the nation could not have achieved its independence, 
could not have formed its union, could not have put the Federal Govern- 
ment into operation. He had neither precedent nor predecessor. His 
work was original and constructive and has successfully stood the severest 
tests. 

He selected the site for the capital of the Eepublic he founded, and 
gave it tlie name of the Federal City, but the connnission substituted the 
name of Washington as the more fitting, and to be a perpetual recognition 
of the services of the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, the 
president of the convention which framed the Constitution, and the first 
President of the Republic. More than seventy millions of people acknowl- 
edge allegiance to the flag which he made triumphant. The nation is his 
best eulogist and his noblest monument. 

I have been deeply interested and touched by the sentiments of his con- 

teni]X)raries, uttered a hundred years ago on the occasion of his death. The 

Rev. Walter King of Norwich, Conn., in the course of an eloquent eulogy 

delivered in that city on January 5, 1800, said in part: 

"By one mighty effort of manly resolution we were born anew, and declared 
our independence. Now commenced the bloody contest for everything we held 
dear. The same Almighty Being, by whose guidance we were hitherto conducted, 
beheld us with compassion, and saw what we needed — a pilot, a leader in the peril- 
ous enterprise we had undertaken. He called for Washington, already prepared, 
annointed him as His servant with regal dignity, and put into his hands the control 
of all our defensive operations. 



90 ^bc MasbiiiQton flDasonic 

"But here admiration suppresses utterance. Your own minds must fill out the 
active character of the man. A description of the warlike sliill, the profound wis- 
dom, tlie prudence, the heroism and inteRrity which he displayed in the character 
of the commander-in-chief would suffer materially in hands like mine. But this I 
may say — the eyes of all our American Israel were placed upon him as their 
savior, under the direction of heaven, and they were not disappointed." 

The Rev. Nathan Strong, pastor of the North Presbyterian (^hureli in 
Hartford, spoke as follows on December 27, 1799 : 

"He was as much the angel of peace as of war, as much respected, as deeply 
reverenced in the political cabinet for a luminous coolness of disposition, whereby 
party jealoiisy became enlightened and ashamed of itself, as he was for a coolness 
of couimand in the dreadful moment when empires hung suspended on the fate of 
battle. His opinions became the opinions of the public body, and every man was 
pleased with himself when he found he thought like Washington. 

"Under the auspices of this great warrior, who was formed by the providence 
of God to defend his country, the war was ended and America ranked among the 
nations. He who might have been a monarch retired to his own Vernon, un- 
clothed of all authority, to cn.ioy the bliss of being a free private citizen. This was a 
strange sight, and gave a new triumph to human virtue — a triumph that hath never 
been exceeded in the history of the world, except it was by his second recess, 
which was from the presidency of the United States." 

And on tlu' day preceding, December 26, 1799, in tiic course of his 

memorable funeral oration before hnili hmises of Congress, Major General 

Lee, then a representative from the State of Virginia, gave utterance to the 

noble seutimi'iit as forceful to-day as in tliose early years of our natidiial 

life: 

"To the horrid din of battle sweet peace succeeded, and our virtuous chief, 
mindful only of the common good, in a moment tempting personal aggrandizement, 
hiished the discontent of growing sedition, and. surrendering his power into the 
hands from which he had received it, converted his sword into a plowshare, teach- 
ing an admiring world that to be truly great you must be truly good." 

While strong with his own generation, ho is stronger oven in the 
judgment of the generations which have followed. After a lapse of a cen- 
tury lie is bettor ajipreciatcd, move ])erfectly tinderstood, more thoroughly 



Centennial flDemorial 91 



venerated and loved tluin when he lived, lie remains an ever-increasing 

influence for good in every part and sphere of action of the Republic. lie 

is recognized as not oidy the most far-sighted statesman of his generation, 

but as having had almost prophetic vision. He bnilt not alone for his OAvn 

time, but for the great future, and pointed the rightful solution of many of 

the problems which were to arise in tlie years to come. 

John Adams, the immediate successor of Washington, said of him in 

an address to the Senate on the 23d of December, 1799 : 

"For himself, he had lived enough to life, and to glory. For his fellow citi- 
zens, if their prayers could have been answered, he would have been immortal. 
* * * His example is now complete, and it will teach wisdom and virtue to 
magistrates, citizens and men, not only in the present age, but in future genera- 
tions, as long as our history shall be read." 

The nation needs at this moment the help of his wise example. In 
dealing with our vast responsibilities we turn to him. We invoke the coun- 
sel of his life and character and courage. We summon his precepts that 
we may keep his pledges to maintain justice and law, education and moral- 
ity, and civil and religious liberty in every part of our country, the new as 
well as the old. 

ADDRESS OF THE GRAND MASTER OF VIRGINIA. 

My Brethren — The divisions of time are but the mile stones men erect 
on the highway leading to eternity. In His sight to whom a thousand 
years are but as yesterday when it is past and as a watcli in the night, the 
centuries are but as the seconds which are gone ere we can reckon them. 
And we who here to-day, gathering in the light of a majestic memory, 
commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the death of a great man — 
bear testimony that the good man never dies. 

This is the only answer we can make to the question : Why these cere- 
monies? 



92 ^be Wlasbinoton flDasonic 



If oue hundred years ago, the real George Washington died, then these 
ceremonies are but vain and idle and mocking miimmeries, serving to recall 
an e\"ent whose memory brings with it only a sense of the emptiness of hu- 
man glory and the end of human greatness. 

But Washington lives to-day, not only in the minds of men — in the 
records of fame — not only in the pages of history — but lives in that serene 
light which emanates from the presence of God — lives a sentient, glorious 
and glorified being, and we assemble here to-day to thank God that he lived, 
to thank God that he lives, and to commemorate the one hundredth anni- 
versary of the dawn of a greater life unto the greatest life that was ever 
lived by a mere mortal. We have to-day borne the same light and the 
same book and jewels borne when his body was laid to rest. We have re- 
traced in solemn procession the route that simple funeral cortege followed 
a century ago. Cannon have thundered from the river — the voices of war 
calling vainly to the eternal peace — as they thundered when the great war- 
rior rested in peace. We have recited from the great poet the inspired 
words sung to Israel's God — outliving Israel — recognizing in all himTanity 
that it is His voice alone that can say "return ye children of men." 

And now all set ceremonies are over, and we have heard the head of 
the nation pay his tribute to the nation's first head. And we shall go back 
to the city's noise and timiult — ^we shall leave these quiet fields — this iinpre- 
tejitious mansion — ^yonder silent and sacred tenement of the dead — to hear 
tlie sound of joy and gladness, the notes of revelry, of music and of song. 
Vain and empty and useless vriW this commemoration be — unworthy of the 
man and of his memory — if it be merely a commemoration, and stir not up 
our hearts and minds to some useful pur}x>se — some purer impulse. The 
grander days of the fathers should be recalled — and this recurrence should 
awaken a recurrence of the spirit of that time, ilen were men, it is true, 
then, as now. Politicians were politicians then, as now. This great soul 



Centennial fiDemorial 9? 

had enemies and slanderers and vilifiers then, as great men have now and 
will have as long as greatness exists and vileness can crawl and bite its heel. 
His motives were maligned — his self-sacrifices were belittled — his charac- 
ter was aspersed. And 3'et when he died, a wave of grief and of dismay 
and an awakened sense of gratitude swept over the entire land, and the voice 
of slander died away. 

We may not withhold the highest meed of praise from the great minds 
who conceived and framed the Constitution. Every wind that blows from 
the Virginia hills, every wave that laps her shores and the shores of the 
gi'eat thirteen States, would rebuke the voice that dare belittle the work of 
Madison and Hamilton, Franklin and Morris. But these men were the 
scTilptors, the designers, who with infinite toil and patience, and genius and 
skill, made the clay model. Washington M'as the workman that cast the 
figure in the enduring bronze, that now for over a century has stood the 
rain and the hail and the mist of doubt and distrust, the storm of war, the 
deadly canker of corruption and the hurricane of party strife. 

And to-day I would invoke that same cessation of party spirit, that 
same feeling of a common interest in a common country, and pray that the 
first lesson we shall carry back from this place shall be a lesson of charity 
and consideration, and kindliness to all in authority, whether our o^vn suf- 
frages placed the men in authority above us or not. That public men and 
public measures should be judged not in the littleness of party prejudice or 
party passion, but tliat in things political as well as in things private, char- 
ity should govern all who wish the welfare of their country. The curse of 
this age is the personality, the bitterness, the uneharitableness of politics. 
Nothing is sTifficiently vile to say of a political opponent; no motive too 
mean to be ascribed to a political measure. Xo man's patriotism is be- 
lieved sincere unless his opinion coincides with our oA\ni, and the floodgates 
of vituperation, abuse and misrepresentation are opened often when hardly 



94 <Ibc Masbtiiijton HDasonic 

the mildest criticism is deserved. These things grow and will continue to 
increase unless sternly repressed. All |mrit_v niul honesty and desire for 
good government is not and has never been anywhere in the world the pecu- 
liar pvojKTty of any set of men, and the sooner we recognize this the better 
for us all. 

Sad and bitter is the thought that often it is only death that does jus- 
tice, even as the old superstition that a dead hand's touch could remove 
blots from the skin. Alas! and alas! for men who live amidst the gray 
mists of popular distrust and disfavor, misjudged, maligned, often cursed, 
above whose graves flowere bloom in the moisture of regretful tears, and 
pseans of praise ring unheard and uneared for by the clay to whom ad- 
dressed. 

It is not for me here to speak, or for you to listen to aught that savors 
of politics. I do not speak to you as members of oiie party or another. I 
speak to you as Masons, professing to work for the benefit of man — of whom 
Washington himself has said that your '"great object is to promote the hap- 
piness of the human race." I sjieak to you as men — I speak to you as 
Americans — whose every pulse beat should throb for your country's wel- 
fare, and to whom the honor and integrity and happiness of your country 
should be tlie first thought 

It has been with some feeling of amused contempt that I have seen it 
stated and insisted ujx>n that ^Vashington was never a Mason, or, if ever 
one, ceased to recognize his membership or obligations. Washington never 
failed to recognize any obligation, from the greatest to the smallest. This 
was one of the characteristics of the man, one of the characteristics of every 
truly great man, one of the characteristics that man derives from God, to 
whom there is nothing great or small, in whose august vision the fall of the 
sparrow is observed, as well as the wreck of a world. That Washington 
was made a Mason in Fredericksburff Lods:e Xo. -t, Aueust 4, IT.'^S, no man 



Centennial fiDemorial 9? 



can deny. I myself have seen the record. Tliiit he was a charter member 
of Alexandria Lodge (now Alexandria- Washington) No. 22, and its first 
Worshipful Master, can be proved by as indisputable evidence as that he 
was our first President. That Lafayette was made a Mason in his pres- 
ence is beyond dispute, and to-day we have here the Masonic regalia worked 
by Madame Lafayette, presented to Washington by Lafayette himself and 
accepted by him as a Mason. And to-day we have l>orne the Bible, the 
jewels and the three, lights borne by the Lodge at his funeral as a Mason, 
one hundred years ago ; and I hold in my hand as I speak the gavel he used 
when, clothed as a Mason and acting as Grand Master of Masons, he laid 
the corner-stone of the capitol. Wliat he thought of Masonry can be easily 
found if one desires to find it in his answers to the addresses of Masonic 
Lodges in his Union. Pi-inted in liis writings, they are of easy access to 
every man, and he it was who suniuiod up the conclusion of the whole mat- 
ter when he said in answer to the address of the Grand Lodge of Massachu- 
setts to their ''illustrious brother, George Washington" on the 27th day of 
December, 1797, "the great object of Masonry is to promote the liappiness 
of the humaji race." 

When he wrote these words there were not over eight thousand Masons 
in the United States. To-day there are nearly eight liundred thousand in 
this nation alone, and the ancient boast of the institution is to-day an abso- 
lute verity, "in every clime a Mason may be found." 

Here to-day all voices are hushed save those which speak to the higher 
impulses of the immortal soul. Here we gather about the dead with no 
tears — with no regrets. What have tears and regrets to do with the ileath 
of the just man ? 

I know of no shrine to which men can come with holier, purer, more 
peaceful thoughts than a grave. Glory is the possession of the few — death 
is the property of all, and the grave is the gate opening into the tenderest. 



96 Cbe Masbinaton fiDasonic 

sweetest, purest thoughts of tln^ himiaii soul. As had been well said, of all 
the pulpits from which human voice is ever sent forth there is none from 
which it reaches so far as from the grave. 

And here at this shrine wo have come, my brethren, to show that Ma- 
sonry can never forget her illustrious dead. Can never forget that death 
is but the birth of immortality, and that nothing that is good in man or 
worthy of love and admiration can ever die. 

VERSES 

To accompany wreaths of oak and ev'ergreen from Londesborough 
Park, East Yorkshire ; sent by The Right Honorable, the Earl of Londes- 
borough, P. M. 294, P. G. Senior Warden of England, and the Worshipful 
Masters, officers and brethren of the Constitutional Lodge No. 294, of An- 
cient Free and Accepted Masons, of Beverley, East Yorkshire, England, 
to be placed on Washington's tomb on the occasion of the hundredth anni- 
versary of his death. 



An English wreatli we fain would lay 
Upon this mighty tomb to-day — 
Of laurel, ivy, oak and yew, 
Wliich drank the English sun and dew 
On far-off Yorkshire's grassy sod ; 
Where once — we boast — his fathers trod. 
Whom East and West unite to praise 
And c^o^\^l with never-fading bays. 

II. 

O Washington, thy symbol be 

The oak for strength and constancy. 



Centennial fIDemorial 97 

For grandeur and for grace of form, 
For calmness in the stress and storm, 
The monarch of the forest thoii ! 
To thee the generations bow; 
And under thy great shadow rest, 
Forever free, forever blest. 

III. 

And thine the laurel, for the fame 
Illustrious of a Conqueror's name — 
Patient to wait and prompt to strike. 
Intrepid, fiery, mild alike: 
Great, for tlie greatness of the foe 
Which fell by thy repeated blow: 
Great, for thy country's greatness, won 
By thee, her most beloved son. 

IV. 

And as the ivy twines around 
Cottage and tower, thy heart was found 
Clinging to home, and church and wife, 
The sweeter for the finished strife: 
And so thy memory, like the yew. 
Will still be green to mortal view^ — 
"The greatest of good men" confest 
By all, "and of great men the best!" 

KiCHARD Wilton, 

Canon of York and Chaplain to the Earl of Londesborough. 
Londesborough Rectory, East Yorkshire, November, 1899. 

Note — John Washington, the foimder of the American family of 
Washington, and great grandfather of the President, lived at South Cave, 
not far from Londesborough and Beverley, England. 



98 ^be Maebinaton nDasontc 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

Denver, Colo., December IS, 1899. 
To the Ladies Sewing Guild of Christ Church, Alexandria, Va.: 

It would have been a pleasure for iiic to have returned you in person 
the thanks that arc due for your gift on the 13th insitant, of a cane made 
from a tree from the churchyard where the Father of Our Country once 
worshipped — but the circumstances wore unfavorable, and yon will permit 
me to tJiank you by letter. I know of uotliing more attractive to a reflec- 
tive mind than a gift which is associated with a great name, and it is now 
universally conceded that Washington stands at the head of all tiiat have 
appeared in human history. Everything that is associated with him, or 
the scenes of his daily life, bridges the years that have passed, and brings 
us nearer to his pei*sonality, his public services, and the loveliness of his 
domestic virtues. Your gift possesses a special feature in that it relates to 
Washington's faith in Divine guidance which we know exerted so great an 
intiuenee upon his public acts. The modei-n men of so-called greatness 
may well dwell u]ion this virtvie of the first of Americans, and perhaps dis- 
cover wherein tlioy are little, and he was so great and strong. 

1 shall preserve your gift with more than ordinary earo and finally 
leave it to the Grand Lodge of Colorado, with the request that it be pre- 
served, and when the next Centennial of Washington's death shall be ob- 
served by the Freemasons of the United State* at his beautiful resting place 
on tlie banks of the Potonuic, it shall be c^irried by the Grand Master of 
Masons of Colorado, and the circumstances of its history be again repeated. 

Accept my sincere thanks, with my wishes for your prosperity, and a 

long and useful life, 

Respectfully, 

Roger Williams WooDnrRV. 



Centennial fiDemorial 99 

Denver, Colo., December 19, 1899. 

Hon. a. R. Coubtney, Cliairman of the Executive Comnuttee, 
Richmond, Va. : 

My Dear Sir and Mod Worshipful Brother — Inasmuch as the circum- 
stances prevented my addressing the Grand Lodge of Virginia at its late 
Annual Grand Communication, preparatory to the National Masonic Me- 
morial Exercises on the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington, 
I would like now to convey to them my appreciation of their labors, and 
its effectiveness, with some reflections pertaining to it. 

When I originally proposed to the Grand Master of Colorado in 1893 
that he should give the idea the benefit of ofiBcial introduction to the Ma- 
sonic world, in his annual address, I think I had, even at that early day, a 
very fair comprehension of the labor that would be necessary ; and when it 
was formally turned over to your Grand Lodge three years later, it had so 
long been considered that the labor you have since been called upon to per- 
fonn, has been no surprise to me. Personally I should have been glad to 
have continued at the work, instead of calling on the good brethren of Vir- 
ginia. There were several reasons against this, but I will here only refer 
to one. 

It was right for Colorado to proy)ose tlio Memorial, but it was not so 
clear that it should undertake to actually carry through National Exercises, 
that must of necessity be within the jurisdiction of Virginia ; and in order 
to be successful, must have the active co-operation of certain Subordinate 
Lodges of Virginia, whose history was especially identified with the Ma- 
sonic life of Washington. I foresaw the possibility of wounded sensibili- 
ties, sooner or later, if Virginia was not awarded the honor of taking full 
charge of these exercises comnicmoriitive of her great son. I knew that as 
the time approached, and the arrangements began to attract more public 

>L.ifC. 



loo ^bc Masbinaton fRasonic 

attention, some of the brethren in Virginia would naturally feel grieved at 
any Grand Lodge being at the head of the movement except their own — 
not in jealousy, but with grief at an invasion of privilege that might very 
projierly be held to be theirs by right. It was something of a self denial 
for us to "step down and out," but I am sure it was tbe right thing, and I 
am glad it was done. The work has been performed by those brethren who 
of right ought to have done it, and I am satisfied and rejoice at their suc- 
cess. 

I conceive that the favorable attention of a great many worthy men 
will be directed to your Lodges through the publicity given to the fact that 
tlie first and last Presidentii were brothers of tlie Fraternity. In a some- 
what lesser degree this will be felt all over the L^nited States, and reflected 
in foreign lands. 

You have brought together more Grand Lodges, through their Grand 
Masters or their representatives, tban has ever been done during the re- 
corded history of Masonry, and we know that it reaches back to 1599, just 
three hundred years. 

You have written a great chapter in Masonic history, and at the same 
time it is an important feature in the secular history of our country. Like 
the laying of the comei^stone of the capitol, it is a Masonic performance of 
a great national duty. 

You have revived public interest in, and disseminated knowledge of, 
the virtues and public services of Washington and his contemporaries, 
which has almost passed away from the mind? of these later generations. 
You have, through the means of the public press, caused more information 
about Washington and the early struggles for the Union to be distributed 
among the people than they had received during the previous many years. 

You have laid out the work for untold generations of brethren in the 
centuries yet to come, for as certain as that Freemasonry will continue to 



Centennial flDemortal loi 

exist in America, will your steps be closely followed whenever the cycling 
years shall have brought around the Centennial Day. 

You have linked your names witli that of Washington just as your 
brethren in 1799 handed down theirs to us when they bore the mortal re- 
mains of the immortal chief to his tomb. 

Either of these achievements is well worthy of the labor you have 
given, but all combined they make the opportunity of a lifetime. Permit 
me to suggest that the records of this annual Grand Communication of 
your Grand Lodge should be complete to the smallest detail necessary to a 
perfect understanding, when read for the guidance of your brethren a hun- 
dred years hence. You should especially apply to each Grand Master or 
representative who addressed your Grand Lodge on the evening of the 13th 
instant, for a copy of his remarks, to be inscribed at length in your proceed- 
ings ; and the exercises of the 14th should be equally as precise, and include 
as many names of those who took part as the Grand Master and Masters of 
Lodges can furnish. There is much labor in this, but it is an appropriate 
mnding up of the great and solemn event which you owe to the great body 
of Masons of the United States whom you have represented on this occasion, 
to yourselves, and to posterity. 

When the next Centennial occurs all lands will be under civilized gov- 
ernments and those governments will either have for their foundations those 
principles of liberty which were put into practical test by Washington and 
his contemporaries, or they will be in process of assimilating them. This 
name will stand as the founder of the world's liberty as it now does of Amer- 
ican liberty, and the representatives of those govenmients and peoples from 
every country and clime will then come to participate with your Grand 
Lodge in honoring the mortal remains of the immortal Washington in his 
beautiful place of repose on the banks of the Potomac. 



I02 ^be MasblriQton HDasonic 

Personally, I wish to tliank you for the kindness which I received at 
your hands as one i)f the representatives of the Grand Lodge of Colorado ; 
and I trust that no friction will ever mar the warm relations now existing 
between our two grand bodies. 

Fraternally yours, 

E. W. WOODBUKY. 
REPORT OF COLORADO COMMITTEE 1900. 

To the Most Woishipful Grand Lodge: 

Your Committee on Centennial Memorial Exercises of Worshipful 
Brother George Washington herewith respectfully and fraternally present 
their final report. 

Grand Master Bumand and all the members of your committee were 
present at the convening of the Grand Lodge of Virginia at the Opera 
House in Alexandria, Va., on the evening of the 13th of December last 
The premises were very much crowded with perhaps one thousand brethren. 
The officers and representatives of other Grand Jurisdictions were seated 
upon the stage, and by States they were severally introduced, received with 
grand honors and made brief addresses, some of which were very appropri- 
ate. Just how many Grand Jurisdictions were represented we do not 
know, biit most of them in the United States as well as Canada, and one or 
more from abroad. The response to the call for Colorado was most fit- 
tingly made by Grand Master Bumand. 

The Grand Lodge was in session for several hours, and then attempted 
to proceed to another building a little distance away, where an elegant ban- 
quet had been prepared by the brethren of Alexandria in honor of the Grand 
Lodge and its guests. For reasons for which the brethren of Alexandria 
were not responsible the toasts and responses that had been arranged to take 
place after the banquet were all abandoned. 




WILLIAM PAVin TODD. 

Past Grand Master ot Colorado. 

Member Colorado Washington Centennial Memorial Committee. 



Centennial flDemorial 103 

On the morning of the 14th several thousand Masons and as many 
other persons proceeded to Mount Vernon, a detailed account of which ap- 
pears in the published extracts incorporated in this volume. Most of the 
brethren and visitors went by steamers, included among which were your 
Grand Master and Brothers Teller and Todd. The other members of your 
committee had been assigned to tlie Presidential train by way of the elec- 
tric railroad. 

Parts of the grounds at Mount Vernon were as crowded as was the 
Grand Lodge and the banquet hall the preceding evening, and some of the 
solemnity of the occasion was lost through the obliteration of the niceties 
of the programme. 

The address of Grand Master Burnand was listened to with respectful 
attention and deep interest ; and it was delivered with self-possession, ear- 
nestness and dig-nity. He was accompanied in the procession, and supported 
on the stand where he spoke by Past Grand Masters Teller and Todd, while 
tlie other members of your committee were lost in the throng of the Presi- 
dential party. 

At the vault where the remains of Washington now repose, and where 
the formal Memorial Exercises took place, the crush was tremendous, but 
at the close Brother Todd succeeded in depositing upon the sarcophagus the 
wreath procured by Grand Master Bumand, and gave it the most imposing 
place among the floral offerings. 

The exercises at Mount Vernon closed with addresses in front of the 
mansion by the President of the United States and the Grand Master of 
Virginia. 

In the evening at Washington a reception was held by the officers of 
the Grand Lodge of Virginia, and later a banquet was given at one of the 
hotels, at which Brother Wright of your committee was one of the speakers. 

Whatever the general verdict may have been as to the details, your 
committee feel that the exercises were a great national event, as was fore- 



I04 ^be IRHasblnoton fiDasonic 

seen by this Grand Lodge when it proposed the Memorial. We were proud 
to represent this Grand Lodge there, and to feel the fraternal warmth that 
was frequently expressed toward it by the brethren from other Jurisdic- 
tions. We know that at the beginning there was no thought of any special 
credit attaching to this Jurisdiction because of originating exercises that 
must perforce be repeated on each Centennial recurrence of the anniver- 
sary ; nor any expectation of the Memorial being used for personal display. 
Colorado cared only to show that the Masonic heart is wanii for all that is 
good and noble; that it reveres the name of its Brother Washington ; and in 
holding Memorial Exercises at his grave it expressed affection and indebted- 
ness to all who aided in founding the government under which we live. 

To one who has long lived "beneath the shadow of the Rocky Moun- 
tains" there was a wondrous inspiration in gathering on the centennial of 
Washington's death where he lived, loved, worshipped and died. The hu- 
man mind venerates age, even when pertaining to inanimate objects. Men 
look with awe upon lofty mountains, not so much from their being evidences 
of infinite power, but because they stand as representatives of untold cen- 
turies, long antedating the supposed advent of man u}X)n earth. But the 
ancient works of man himself inspire even greater reverence; and when 
these are associated with the memories of such historic deeds as cluster 
around Mount Vernon, we who journeyed from Colorado (to reach which 
a hundred years ago would have consumed more time than is now taken to 
encompass the earth) felt it to be hallowed ground, where the head is in- 
voluntarily bared, the voice becomes hushed and gentle, and the heart is 
open to all those silent influences which make men better, and fill them with 
the resolve of emulation. 

The report of this committee presented at your last annual Grand 
Communication presupposed that nothing later would be expected by the 
Grand Lodge; but the sentiment then expressed has caused this committee 



dentennial flDemorial 105 

to recall from the office of the Grand Secretary the bound report then made, 
and add to it for historical purposes subsequent correspondence, official cir- 
culars and reports, newspaper articles, photographs, badges, maps, and a 
detailed account of the various local exercises held in this Grand Jurisdic- 
tion so far as correspondence and personal effort have been made to gather 
them. All of these features have been incorporated with the volume re- 
ported one year ago, so that the book is now a fairly complete history of the 
Memorial Exercises, from their inception to their execution. 

A special effort was made by your committee to procure copies of all 
the addresses made in our Colorado Lodges. Personal application was 
made by letter to all from which Lodge reports were made to the Grand 
Secretary, which reports formed the basis of your committee's information 
as to where Memorial Exercises had been held. Wherever they heard of 
addresses having been delivered, tliey wrote for copies, and in some cases 
several letters were written for a single address. They only succeeded, 
however, in obtaining the copy of sixteen, as follows : 

James H. Peabody, Canon City. 

Ernest Le Neve Foster and Flor Ashbaugh, Central City. 

R. D. Graham and W. T. Miller, Colorado Springs. 

Ezra T. Elliott, Del Norte. 

Aaron Gove and E. A. Williams, Denver. 

N. C. Miller, Durango. 

D. R. Hatch, Georgetown. 

Marshall H. Dean, Glenwood Springs. 

Frank Madden, Greeley. 

W. L. Biish, Idaho Springs. 

J. M. Maxwell and L. M. Goddard, Leadville. 

M. H. Fitch, Pueblo. 



io6 abc Masbinoton fl>asonic 



These addresses, together with those made at Mount Vernon, will all 
be found in this volume ; and there are some extracts from newspapers or 
other addresses made in this State. Some of those given in full are of ex- 
ceptional merit, well worthy of being handed down to generations yet to 
come. 

By consent of the Grand Secretary the official reports from Lodges, of 
their observance of the memorial programme, have been incorporated in 
this volume, so as to bring together everything pertaining to the subject. 
It is probable that at some future time some of our Lodges will regret that 
they are unrepresented. 

We have also included in this book such memorial circulars from other 
Gi'and Lodges as have come into our possession. These are of interest to us 
because some of them closely follow the Colorado programme, republishing 
and circulating to their Grand Jurisdictions as a part of their local pro- 
granmie, our letters from Brother Treat and the Worshipful Master of 
Alexandria-Washington Lodge. 

There are also bound in this volume four photographs of the Mount 
Vernon exercises — two being different views of your Grand Master while 
delivering his address, the third being the front of the mansion, and the 
President of the United States and his audience ; and the fourth, Washing- 
ton's tomb, showing the floral deposits through the gates, conspicuous among 
which is that of Colorado. 

Also appearing in the book are the badges worn at Mount Vernon by 
one of your committee. Also a map showing the order of the procession 
on the grounds, and the places where the respective addresses were deliv- 
ered. 

The newspaper clippings occupy fifty pages, with three columns to the 
page. They are mostly from the Washington press, and not only contain 
much matter of Masonic and general interest, but verify the former predic- 



Centennial fiDemorial 107 

tion of your committee that millions of people would by these exercises be 
brought intx) closer knowledge and sympathy with the historic facts and gov- 
erning principles of our forefathers. These newspaper clippings also have 
many illustrations of Washington and his home, and other scenes and per- 
sons of present interest They also include in full the accurate and ex- 
cellent compilation of Brother Greenleaf in his "Square and Compass." 

Your committee are unable to close their final report, at the end of 
seven years of service in this most interesting field, without directing atten- 
tion to the fact that every action of this Grand Lodge upon the subject of 
the Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises, from their inception, has 
been unanimous ; and that no disposition has been manifest from any source 
not in harmony with the exalted objects of the Memorial. Every member 
of the Grand Lodge has appreciated the patriotism, and we may add the 
statesmanshij), involved in and underlying this great national proposition ; 
and we repeat what we said last year, that the action of this Grand Lodge in 
initiating this Memorial will long appear in its historj' as the most beauti- 
ful jewel that sparkles in a crown. 

To all tlie brethren who have contributed to lighten the labors of this 
committee, to the members generally of the Grand Lodge who have so gen- 
erously supported the recommendations of the committee, to the Grand 
Secretary, who has co-operated in so much of their clerical work, and to the 
several Grand Masters who have presided in the Grand East since the ap- 
pointment of this committee, and some of wlioni have given invaluable ad- 
vice and assistance, we return our profound acknowledgements. 

EoGEE Williams Woodbury, 
William David Todd, 
William D. Weight, 

Committee. 




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Exercises in 
Colorado 



Centennial riDemorial 1 1 1 



Memorial Exercises in Colorado. 



LETTER TO THE MASTER OF WASHINGTON'S LODGE. 

To THE Worshipful Mastek of i\.LEXANDEiA- Washington Lodge, 
A. F. & A. M., Alexandria, Va. : 

My Dear Sir and Worshipful Brother — The Grand Lodge of Masons 
of Colorado is arranging for Memorial Services on the centennial of the 
death of Brother George Washington, to be held in every Lodge in this 
Jurisdiction, and in preparing a programme for adoption we desire an offi- 
cial letter from you, as Worshipful Master of the Lodge once presided over 
by Washington. Your letter we desire to print and furnish to each of our 
Lodges, to be read on the occasion specified. It seems to us that the read- 
ing of a letter from the brother who now presides in the East where Wash- 
ington once presided, would bring us into closer fraternal union with him 
and his Masonic life, his personal worth, and his exalted public services. 
Without undertaking to outline what such a sketch should contain, we beg 
to suggest that it include a sketch of his Masonic life, his connection with 
your Lodge, and the adoption of his name by your Lodge. We wish to 
print for our Subordinate Lodges a good account of Washington's Masonic 
life, and we had rather it should be incorporated in your letter than to be 
obliged to have recourse to some printed account, which will be much less 
interesting than one coming from you. 

Our Grand Lodge meets on the 19th of September, and as our report 
will be quite long, we would like your letter as early in the month as possi- 
ble. In the meantime, will you kindly infomi me at once if we may rely 



112 ^be xaHasbinaton flDasonic 



upon your compliance witli uur request? You are at liberty to make the 
letter as long as you desire, and not feel restricted in the least 

Thanking you in advance for your courtesy, and assistance, and with 
the most kindly sentiments, I beg to remain, 

Fraternally yours, 

R. W. Woodbury, 

Chairman. 

LETTER FROM THE MASTER OF WASHINGTON'S LODGE. 

Alexandeia, Va., September 2, 1899. 
To the Brethren of the Grand Jurisdiction of Colorado, Oreeting: 

On the 14th of December, of this year, we meet in Solemn Lodge to 
celebrate tlie one hundredth anniversary of the death of our illustrious Ma- 
sonic Brother George Washington. 

He was a man of destiny, sent by the Supreme Architect of the Uni- 
verse for a specific purpose, and that accomplished, his soul winged its 
flight to the Heavenly Lodge above, where the King of Glory in all majesty 
and dominion presides. History fails to record a nobler, purer, and more 
unselfish character. Caesar thrice refused a crovsm that they would not 
have dared offer the patriot Washington. Napoleon Bonaparte erected 
statues of bronze and marble to commemorate his achievements, accom- 
plished at the expense of infinite suffering and torrents of blood ; but these 
monuments will crumble to dust, while the fame of our noble, gentle and 
humane Washington, enshrined in the hearts of a grateful people, will go 
reverberating down through the ages, gathering greater and greater lustre 
until time is no more. 

Washington's advent into the world was co-incidont with tlic estab- 
lishment of Masonry in this country, for he was bom on the 22d day of 
February, 1732, and the first regular Lodge of Masons in America was in- 



Centennial flDeniorial 1 1 3 

stituted in Boston, Mass., in the year 1733, under a charter granted by the 
Grand Lodge of England. 

Just before Washington attained his majority a Lodge was established 
at Fredericksburg, Va., and he immediately, although he was not twenty- 
one years of age, applied for admission. He was duly elected, and re- 
ceived the Entered Apprentice degree on November 24, 1752, the Fellow 
Craft degree on March 3, 1753, and was raised to the Sublime degree of 
Master Mason on August 4, 1753. 

The Bible on which he was obligated was printed at Cambridge, Eng- 
land, in 1688, by John Field, Printer to the University, and is to-day in a 
splendid state of preservation. Its hallowed associations make this book 
the most valuable and venerated of all Masonic treasures in America. 

The fact that Washington was initiated into the mysteries of Free- 
masonry before he became of age, was not an unusual proceeding at that 
time, for he had already attained the physical, mental and moral develop- 
ments of a man, and thoroughly understood and appreciated the responsi- 
bilities of life. Then, too, it was customary in some European countries, 
to admit into the fraternity men under twenty-one years of age, who were 
well vouched for, notably the sons of Masons. 

On the 3rd of February, 1783, the Masons of Alexandria, Va., ob- 
tained a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to hold a Lodge of 
Ancient Masons, and was numbered thirty-nine. Robert Adams was the 
first Master. It wrought under this warrant until a Grand Lodge was 
established in Richmond, Va., when it immediately petitioned for a new 
charter, and asked that "our Brother George Washington, Esq.," should be 
named as the first Master of the Lodge. This prayer was granted at the 
next communication of the Grand Lodge of Virginia, on April 28, 1788, 
aud the number changed to twenty-two. Edmund Randolph, Governor of 
Virginia, was Grand Master at the time. 



114 Itbc IftHasbinflton flDasonic 

George Washington was, therefore, first Master of Alexandria Lodge 
No. 22. In 1805 the members unanimously requested the Grand Lodge 
to change the name of tlic Lodge to "Alexandria- Washington Lodge" No. 
22, and this was accordingly done. So tlie name of tlie iimuortal Washing- 
ton is indissolubly linked for all time with the Lodge with which he was so 
intimately associated for many years. 

On the IStli of September, 1793, the corner-stone of the capitol in 
the (^ity of Washington was laid with appropriate Masonic ceremonies, 
Washington (at that time President of tlie United States) acting as Wor- 
shipful Master of Lodge No. 22. The Masonic regalia worn by him on 
that oeciision, and the trowel he used to spread the cement, are preserved 
as precious relics by this Lodge. 

The cliair he occupied in the East has been in continuous use ever 
since, and it is tlie highest ambition of tlie members of the old Lodge to be 
elected to the stiition he once filled witli such signal ability. 

He died at Mount Vernon, his beloved home, on the banks of the Po- 
tomac, six miles below Alexandria, on the 14th day of December, 1799, 
l^eforo nature's decay had begun to impair his wonderful physical and 
mental vitality. 

He was laid to rest at Mount Vernon on the IStJi day of December, by 
the brethren of the Order he loved so well, and whose precepts he had so 
faithfully followed. Well might he have said with tlie Evangelist: *'I 
have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; 
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the 
Lord, tJic rightTOus Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, 
but unt<i all tliem that love His appearing." 

With brotherly greetings from your brethren of Alexandria- Washing- 
ton Lodge No. 22, I am. 

Cordially and fraternally yours, 

Bex J. M. Aitchesox, 

(Seal of Lodge.") Worshipful Master Lodge Na 22. 



Centennial fIDemorial 115 

SUBSEQUENT CONNECTING CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE MASTER OF 

WASHINGTON'S LODGE. 

Denvee, Colo., September S, 1899. 

Benj. M. Aitcheson, Esq., Worshipful Master Alexandria-Washington 
Lodge No. 22, A. F. and A. M., Alexandria, Va. : 

Dear Sir and Worshipful Brother — I am in receipt of your letter of 
the 2nd inst., to the brethren of this Grand Jurisdiction, and in their be- 
half I tJiank you very much for the same. 

Its spirit is harmonious with the lofty subject ; and its reading to the 
hundred Lodges of this Grand Jurisdiction at their local Memorial Exer- 
cises on tJie 14th of December, will add immeasurably to the interest of that 
occasion. 

I have received by express your gift of the handsome volume, "The 
Lodge of Washington." 

I was most agreeably surprised at the character of its contents, and 
find it of much more than ordinary interest, even in a historical sense, 
apart from Masonry. I do not wonder that your members regard No. 22 
with unusual love and reverence. It is like a sturdy oak, whose spreading 
arms have sheltered generations of worthy men, and have become broader 
and stronger and more protecting as the years roll on. 

There are Washington Lodges in name all through our country, but 
yours alone is the Lodge of Washington. I think the hallowed associa- 
tions that cling around it must exert a lasting and beneficent impression 
upon the minds of your members — not so solemn as when standing at the 
tomb of Washington at Mount Vemon, but nevertheless imposing and ma- 
jestic, and calculated to arouse silent resolutions that make good men and 
true citizens. 



ii6 tTbc Masbinoton riDasonic 

I thank you very much for your thoughtful kindness, and after loan- 
ing the history to my associates on my committee, it will be used by such as 
desire to know more of the Masonic life of Washington, and the Lodge over 
which he presided. Yours fraternally, 

R. W. WooDBUKT, Chairman. 

Denver, Colo., October 9, 1899. 

Benj. M. Aitcheson, Esq., Worshipful Master Alexandria-Washington 
Lodge No. 22, Alexandria, Va. : 

Dear Sir and Worshipful Brother — Since the meeting of our Grand 
Lodge on the 19tli ultimo, we have sent a copy of the programme for exer- 
cises in tlie Colorado Subordinate Lodges, to all the Grand Tvodges of the 
country, hoping that many of Ihem, if not all, will also arrange for local 
exercises and be assisted by our programme, of which I enclose a copy. 
We concluded that we would not send out copies of your letter to our 
Lodges until just before the memorial exercises, so that its interest would 
not be reduced by prior reading. 

The Grand Secretaries of Kansas and Arkansas have just written, 
asking for a copy of the letter to be used in their Jiirisdictions ; and I pre- 
sume similar requests will be received from other Jurisdictions. We will 
have copies sent to those which ask for it, feeling certain that it will meet 
with your approval. To such as we thus send, we will suggest that as the 
letter is addressed to the brethren of this Jurisdiction, that they might omit 
the address (to Colorado) or write you for permission to change the name 
of the State so as to apply to their own Jurisdictions. I have thought that 
it might be more satisfactory to them to have it that way, than to use it as 
written for another Jurisdiction. 

Fraternally yours, 

R. W. Woodbury, Chainnan. 



Centennial fIDemorial n? 

Alexandeia, Va., October 21, 1899. 
Me. R. W. Woodbuey, Chairman, Denver, Colo. : 

Dear Sir and Brother — I have jour letter of October 9th, with copy 
of programme of exercises for the Colorado Subordinate Lodges, for which 
please accept my thanks. I regret very much that I was unable to answer 
your letter sooner, which was caused by my taking a good deal of interest 
and time in the sesqui-eentennial of Alexandria, and hope my delay in 
answering the same will not cause you any inconvenience. I enclose you 
three copies of the letter which I sent you some time ago, addressed to Colo- 
rado, Kansas and Arkansas, ou which I have put the seal of our Lodge, as 
I was unable, as I wrote you before, owing to the seal having been burned, 
to have it put on the letter I wrote at first. I thought you would like to 
have one with the seal of the Lodge as a matter of record. I am very 
much obliged to you if you will forward the letters to the Kansas and Ar- 
kansas Grand Secretaries, so that they may use them as they desire. I 
have written the Grand Secretary of Kansas that I have forwarded this 
copy, and that you would, no doubt, send it as soon as received. 

Fraternally yours, 

Benj. M. Aitcheson, 
Worshipful Master Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22. 

Richmond, Va., October 21, 1899. 
Hon. R. W. Woodbury: 

Dear Sir and Brother — Yours of the lOtli inst. came duly to hand with 
a copy of Worshipful Brother Aitcheson's letter. Please accept my thanks. 

It would be a great help to me if you were here or in Washington to 
assist us in mapping out and conducting the exercises, and if joii are a 
man of leisure, which I hope you are, I would be glad for you to come on 
at once to the Ebbitt House, which has been selected as our headquarters, 



ii8 ^be Masbinoton flDasonic 

and remain there until the ceremonies are over, as one of the committee, 
we paying your expenses. I think it would be but a just compliment to 
the brother who originated this movement, that he should have an active 
part in carrying it throiigh, and I know our whole committee agree with 
me in this. 

I am just about concluding a contract for printing the booklet, which 
I have frequently mentioned in our correspondence, and the first pages of 
this work should contain an account of the origin of the movement, and 
pictures of the originators. Please furnish me with this at your earliest 
convenience. 

Awaiting your reply, which I hojje will be immediate, I remain, 

Yours fraternally, 

A. R. Courtney, 
Chairman Executive Committee. 

LETTER TO BROTHER ADNA ADAMS TREAT, A CENTENARIAN. 

Denver, Colo., September 19, 1899. 
Mr. Adna Adams Treat, Denver, Colorado : 

Dear Sir and Brother — In 1893 the Grand Lodge of Masons of Colo- 
rado initiated a movement for the holding of Centennial Memorial Exer- 
cises upon the anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George 
Washington, at Mount Vernon, Virginia, on the 1-lth of December, 1899. 
Those exercises at Mount Vernon will be participated in by between fifty 
and sixty Grand Lodges of the United States, and some foreign Jurisdic- 
tions ; and the Subordinate Lodges in this Jurisdiction and others, will at 
the same time hold exercises of a similar nature in their respective Lodge 
rooms. The programme which has been prepared for the use of the Suboi^ 
dinate Lodges of Colorado includes the reading of a letter addressed to the 



Centennial flDemorial 1 19 

brethren of Colorado from the present Worshipful Master of Alexandria- 
Washington Lodge No. 22, of Alexandria, Va., of which Lodge Washington 
was the first Master. In the report of the special committee to the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado made to-day, covering their conveyance of respect and 
reverance to you in your one hundred and third year, it was stated that 
you had, many years ago, personally met Brother Marquis de La Fayette, 
the friend, compatriot and Masonic brother of Washington. The request 
was made that this committee, representing tiie Grand Lodge of Colorado, 
in the arrangements for the Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises, 
should request of you a letter to be read to all the Lodges in this Jurisdic- 
tion at those Memorial Exercises, particularly relating to your recollection 
relative to this great friend of Washington, and such other matters as it 
may be your pleasure to write for use upon that occasion. In accordance 
with the wishes of the Grand Lodge, I now formally invite you to prepare 
such a letter and forward to me at Denver, Colorado, and the same will be 
thankfully received and used as designated. 

Fraternally yours, 

K. W. WOODBUEY, 

Chairman. 



LETTER TO COLORADO MASONS BY BROTHER ADNA ADAMS TREAT, 

CENTENARIAN. 

Denver, Colo., November 23, 1899. 

To the Most Worshipful Grand Master, Grand Secretary, Officers and 
Members of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, Greeting: 

The request of the chairman of your committee to briefly outline 
some events in the early history of my Masonic career has been received. 



I20 Cbe TKIlasbinoton flDasonic 

I was bom April 8, 1797, hence was nearly three years of age at the 
time of General George Washington's death. 

I was one of a committee from Apollo Lodge, Troy, N. Y., to receive 
and entertain General Marquis de Lafayette, who had been a wann per- 
sonal friend of General Washington, at a reception tendered him by the 
city of Troy on September 18, 1824, and took part in the Masonic division 
of the grand procession on that day. 

Our committee escorted him to and from the Lodge where a reception 
was held. 

As I recall the impressions made iipon my mind of his appearance and 
address, he was of medimn height, erect of figure, with faultless dress. In 
manner and appearance a French gentleman. 

It would give me great pleasure were it not for my infirmities, to be 
present upon so memorable an occasion to do honor to an event that holds in 
memory one of the most illustrious characters in modem history, occurring 
within the span of my life, one hundred years ago. 

As we are disposed to honor the good deeds and acts of the living, it is 
also right to honor the important events that have crowned the lives of the 
dead, "For their works do follow them," as we bow in silent adoration to 
the behests of our Creator. 

Fraternally yours, 

Adna Adams Treat. 



Centennial HDemorial 121 

OFFICIAL PROGRAMME OF MEMORIAL EXERCISES IN COLORADO. 

The M. W. Geand Lodge of Colorado, A. F. & A. M. 

OFFICE of the GEAND SECEETAEY. 

Denvee, Colo., October 1, 1899. 

At the Annual Grand Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge of Colorado, A. F. and A. M., held on the 19th of September, 1899, 
the committee on the Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises made 
report, which included a general order of exercises for the use of the Sub- 
ordinate Lodges of the Jurisdiction on their local observance of the occa- 
sion. The report expressed the opinion that local exercises by Masonic 
Lodges throughout the country would be of at least equal effect as the 
national exercises at Mount Vernon, in attracting the attention of the pres- 
ent generation to the virtues, patriotism and Masonic and public services of 
Washington and his compeers. The report of the committee was unan- 
imously adopted, and in accordance with the action of the Grand Lodge, 
you are hereby furnished with a copy of that part of the report which re- 
lates to said local exercises, which is as follows : 

That where there is more than one Lodge in any town or city, the 
brethren all unite in the exercises. 

That they be held on the day or evening of the 14th of December next, 
the anniversary of General Washington's death. 

That the Most Worshipful Grand Master be requested to issue general 
authority to all Lodges that may wish to avail themselves of the same, to 
hold their exercises in any public hall, to be attended by the public, and to 
march in procession thereto. 

That the flag of our country, draped with crape, be displayed in every 
Lodge room or public hall used by the Lodges during the Memorial Exer- 
cises. 



122 ^bc TUHasbington fIDasonic 

The reading of an account of Washingtxin's last illness from the diary 
of his secretary, published in McClure's Magazine of February, 1898. 

The reading of a personal letter to the Lodges of Colorado, from the 
Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, of which Washing- 
ton was the first Master under its Virginia charter, which letter includes 
an account of Washington's Masonic life. 

An address upon the early influence of Masonry on the development 
of the American idea of the equality of men, as expressed in the Declara- 
tion of Independence, and its culmination in the independence of the Amer- 
ican Colonies. 

An address on the personal character and public services of Wash- 
ington. 

The reading of Washington's "Farewell Address." 

To be interspersed with such music as may be arranged by the Lodges. 

A copy of the personal letter from the Master of Alexandria-Washing- 
ton Lodge, addressed to the Lodges of this Jurisdiction, will be furnished 
you shortly before the time for its use. 

I will also state that the committee has requested of Brother A. A. 
Treat of Denver, now in the one hundred and third year of his age, a letter 
descriptive of his personal meeting with Washington's personal, military 
and Masonic friend. Marquis de Lafayette^ to be read on the memorable 
occasion, and, if received, a copy of same will be furnished you. 

The magazine article, the Farewell Address, etc., will not be sent out 
from this office, but each Lodge will easily be able to supply itself. 

The authority of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, covering the 
third paragraph in the above order of exercises, will be forwarded later. 

Please acknowledge receipt. 

Fraternally yours, 

Ed. C. Parmelee, Grand Secretary. 



Centennial fIDcmortat i^ 

DISPENSATION FROM THE GRAND MASTER. 

The M. W. Grand Lodge of Coloeado, A. F. & A. M. 

GRAND master's OFFICE. 

A. A. BuENAXD, Grand Master. Leadville, Colo. 

The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Colorado, A. F. and A. M., 
having recommended a general local observance of the centennial of the 
death of Worshipful Brother, 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 
which took place on the 14th of December, 1799, 

Now, Therefore, Authority is hereby granted Subordinate Lodges of 
this Jurisdiction, to appear in public procession, hold their Memorial Ex- 
ercises in a public hall, or invite the public to their own halls if they so pre- 
fer, on the day or evening of the 14th day of December, 1899, A. L. 5899. 

It is to be hoped that every Lodge in this Jurisdiction, no matter how 
small the membership, will in some way observe the day, which should be 
dear to the heart of every Mason. Let all unite to do honor to the memory 
of him, of whom it was said, "Providence left him childless that his coun- 
try might call him father." 

I am informed by the committee that the programme outlined by them 
and published by the Grand Secretary under date of October 1, 1899, is not 
mandatory in its intent, but advisory. Lodges are reqiiested, however, 
to conform to the same as closely as possible. Washington's "Farewell 
Address" will be found in "Great Words from Great Americans," pub- 
lished by G. P. Putnam's Sons. 

Given under our hand and seal this 23d day of October, 1899, A. L. 
5899. 

Alphonse a. Burnand, Grand Master. 

Attest : 

Ed. C. Paemelee, Grand Secretary. 



124 ^t5C Masbinoton flDasonic 

ALAMOSA. 
Masonic Hall, Alamojsa, Colo., December 14, 1899. 

Alamosa Lodge No. 44, A. F. and A. M., met as a Lodge of sorrow to 
commemorate the one hundredtii anniversary of the death of Brother 
George Washington of Alexandria-Washington Lodge Xo. 22, of Alexan- 
dria, Va., with the following named officers: 

Brother George Booth, Worshipful Master. 

A. C. Cole, Senior Warden. 

Henry Bachus, Junior Warden. 

W. H. Hirst, Secretary. 

The great lights being drajx'd, as well as the American flag in the 

East, the Lodge was opened on tlie third degree in due form. Lodge was 

then called from labor to refreshment and the public was admitted. 

Brother H. II. DubendorlT was called to act as Master of Ceremonies, 

which he did by first stating the object of the meeting and the reading of 

the Grand Secretary's circular imder date of October 1, 1899, after which 

prayer was offered by Brother W. Taylor Douglas. 

Duet Mr. and Mrs. Bullock 

Address on Masonry Brother C. C. Holbrook 

Solo Miss Louise Gertensen 

Recitation Miss Stella Van Fleet 

Solo Mrs. Brunson 

Reading letter from Adna Adams Treat, and comments 

Brother W. Taylor Douglas 

Song Misses Louise Gertensen, Minnie Bucher and Maud Watson 

Washington's Farewell Address W. H. Hirst 



for 



The public was then dismissed. Lodge called on, and closed in due 

Fraternally, 

W. H. Hirst, 
(Seal of Lodge.) Secretary. 



Centennial flDemorial 125 

ASPEN. 

Aspen, Colo., December 28, 1899. 

Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises were held by Spar Lodge 
No. 60, A. F. and A. M., and Hiram Lodge No. 98, A. F. and A. M., at 
the Presbyterian Church, Aspen, Colorado, on the evening of December 14, 
1899, A. L. 5899, when the following programme was rendered: 

I. Music. 

II. Prayer. 

III. Introductory remarks by chairman and reading of letter from the 
Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, of Alexandria, 
Va. 

IV. Music. 

V. Reading of Washington's farewell address by Brother Mark C. 
Kobey. 

VI. Music. 

VII. Reading of extracts from newspaper printed in 1800, bearing upon 
the obsequies of Worshipful Brother Washington; also letter from Presi- 
dent John Adams, by Brother Branscombe. 

VIII. Reading of Brother Adna Adams Treat's letter, followed by ad- 
dress by Brother Percival. 
IX. Music. 
X. Benediction. 

L. T. Tenscher, 
Secretary Spar Lodge No. 60, A. F. and A. M. 

T. N. Gillespie, 
Secretary Hiram Lodge No. 98, A. F. and A. M. 



126 ^bc TKaasbtuGton nOaeonic 

BERTHOUD. 

Bekthoud, Colo., December 28, 1899. 

Ed. C. Paemelee, Grand Secretary: 

Dear Sir and Brother — Bertlioiul Lodge No. 83, A. F. and A. M., ac- 
cepted an invitation from Fort Collins Lodge No. 19 to be present with 
them on December 14, and participate in the Washington Memorial Exer- 
cises held on that date. A very enjoyable time was had and the exercises 
were very appropriate. 

Yours fraternally, 

F. M. Weight, 

Secretary. 



BRECKENRIDGE. 

Beeckeneidge, Colo., February 22, 1900. 

A. A. BuENAND, Grand Master, A. F. and A. M., Denver, Colo. : 

Dear Sir and Most Worshipful Brother — On the one hundredth aimi- 
versary of the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington, Brecken- 
ridge Lodge No. 47, A. F. and A. M., held appropriate services at G. A. R. 
Hall, and the I. O. R. M. participated with us in giving the prescribed 
programme, to a large and appreciative audience. 

Very fraternally, 

B. A. Aebogast, 

Secretary. 



Centennial fIDemorial 127 

BUENA VISTA. 

Mount Peinceton Lodge No. 49, A. F. & A. M. 

Your committee appointed to draft resolutions in commemoration of 
the life and character of our esteemed patron, friend and brother, George 
Washington, upon this the one hundredth anniversary of his death, beg 

leave to submit the following: 

Whereas, We esteem the nation happy indeed which can claim Washington as 
its most illustrious soldier, its wisest statesman and most distinguished and hon- 
ored citizen, of whom it has been truly said he was "first in war, first in peace, 
and first in the hearts of his countrymen." In the language of Charles Phillips: 
"A conqueror, he was untainted with the crime of blood; a revolutionist, he was free 
from the stain ot treason — for aggression commenced the contest, and his country 
called him to the command. Liberty unsheathed his sword, Necessity stained it, 
and Victory returned it. If he had paused here, history might have doubted what 
station to assign him, whether at the head of her citizens or her soldiers. But the 
last glorious act crowns his career and banishes all hesitation. Who like Wash- 
ington, after having emancipated a hemisphere, resigned its crown, and preferred 
the retirement of domestic life, to the adoration of a land he might almost be said 
to have created!" 

The lapse of time and the wear of ages, monuments crumble and return to 
dust. The greatest statesmen, soldiers and orators fill the public mind for a brief 
period, and then fade from sight and memory. A few, it is true, have lived longer 
in the hearts of their own countrymen; but to Washington alone it has been given 
to command and receive the respect and veneration of the world. 

But it is as a Mason that we would give honor to his memory to-night, and we 
deem ourselves fortunate to be able to claim him among the great brotherhood of 
the mystic tie. His name and character have given dignity to our order, and in- 
spired with enthusiasm all true lovers and patrons of Masonry. 

Therefore, be it Resolved, That we admire his reoord as a soldier, honor him 
as a statesman, venerate his memory as a pure patriot, and love him as a brother. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the minutes of the 
Lodge. 

T. J. Briscoe, 

H. Jean Weteeing, 

Bdena Vista, Colo., December 14, 1899. 



128 Zbc Iftllasbington riDasonic 

CANON CITY. 
CiBCULAu TO Members. 

Canon City, Colo., December 11, 1899. 
Dear Brother: 

In aecdrdanco with arrangeraente made for the proper observance of 
the Washington Centennial Memorial, the following particulars are hereby 
promulgated for your guidance : 

Assemble at the Lodge room promptly at 7 :30 Thursday evening, De- 
cember 1-1, 1899. From the Lodge room procession will move to the M. 
E. Church, where suitable seats will be reserved for Masons. 

Members of the Craft will wear white gloves and aprons, which will 
be furnished at tlie Lodge room and collected at the close of the exercises. 

A programme is enclosed herewith, which should be preserved as a 
memento. Others will bo furnished at the church. 

It is confidently expected that every member of Mount Moriah Lodge 
will assist in making this event one long to be remembered, and, tliat this 
may be accomplished, all should be in prompt attendance at the Lodge 
room and join in the ceremonies. 

Sojourning brethren are urgently requested to participate with us. 

By order of 

A. R. Frisbie, 

Worshipful Master. 

Attest : 

H. L. Price, 

Secretary. 



Centcnntal flDemorial 129 

PROGRAMME WASHINGTON CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL EXERCISES. 

1799. (Picture of Washington.) 1899. 

Under the Auspices of Mount Moriah Lodge No. 15, A. F. and A. M. 

M. E. Church, Canon City, Colorado, 

December 14, 1899. 

Officers of Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 15, A. F. and A. M., for the year 1900: 

Arthur R. Frisbie Worshipful Master 

Franlt N. Carrier Senior Warden 

George E. Trout Junior Warden 

James H. Peabody Treasurer 

Henry L. Price Secretary 

Wilbur T. Little Senior Deacon 

William J. Davis Junior Deacon 

Henry T. Gravestock Senior Steward 

Charles H. Gravestock Junior Steward 

Joseph T. Little Tiler 

Piano solo — "Star Spangled Banner," Concert Paraphrase (Troyer) 

Miss Grace Dale 

Prayer Rev. B. E. Karl, Trilumnia Lodge No. 85 

Reading of a personal letter to the Lodges of Colorado, from the Worshipful 

Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge of Virginia 

Worshipful Master A. R. Frisbie, Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 15 

Quartet — "Soldier's Farewell" (Kinkel) 

Messrs. Armstrong, Brighton, McClintock, Chemberlin 

Reading of an account of Washington's last illness, from the diary of his 

private secretary 

Rev. W. J. Fisher, Pastor Cumberland Presbyterian Church 

Address — "Personal Character and Public Services of Washington"... 

. .Most Worshipful James H. Peabody, Past Grand Master of Colorado 

Quartet "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" 

Address — "The Early Influence of Masonry on the Development of the 

American Idea, as Expressed in the Declaration of Independence" 

Rev. R. A. Chase, Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 15 

Reading of Washington's farewell address 

Right Worshipful Jos. W. Milsom, Deputy Grand Master of Colorado 

"America" Audience requested to join in singing 

Benediction. 



130 ^be XRHasbinGton flDasontc 



PAST MASTERS OF MOUNT MORIAH LODGE NO. 15, A. F. AND A. M. 

G. B. Frazier 1867-68-69-70 

Thomas H. Craven 1871-76-78 

B. F. Smith 1872 

B. F. Shaffer 1873 

W. H. Thompson 1874-75 

A. E. Rudolph 1877 

W. T. Bridwell 1879 

James H. Peabody 1880-81-82-83-84-94-95 

Henry Earle 1885 

George W. Roe 1886-87 

J. T. Little 1888-89-98 

D. A. Bradbury 1890-91-92 

Joseph W. Milson 1893 

E. C. Stewart 1896 

F. N. Carrier 1897 

A. R. Frisbie 1899 

Dispensation issued December 11, 1867. 
Charter issued October 6, 1868. 



ADDRESS OF J. H. PEABODY, PAST GRAND MASTER. 

Worshipful Master and Brethren, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

A story is told somewhere in ancient history of an unlettered youth of foreign 
tongue, who sought admission into one of the institutions of learning in Athens. 
As an only means of communicating to this ignorant boy the necessary refusal, a 
glass filled with water was submitted to him as a token of the impossibility of his 
admission; whereupon the undaunted child plucked a rose leaf ajid floated it upon 
the sparkling surface, in humble but beautiful demonstration of his willingness, 
but inability to add to the crowded halls of science. In like humble manner, my 
honored brethren and friends, I ask your attention for a few moments while I add 
my feeble "pen leaf" to the brimming catalogue of orations, speeches and addresses 
delivered this day throughout the length and breadth of this glorious Republic, 
commemorative of the "personal character and public services" of our beloved 
countryman and brother, the peerless Washington. 

One hundred years ago this day the Supreme Architect of the Universe re- 
moved from the terrestrial to the celestial Lodge our Brother George Washington, 
and about his tomb on the brow of beautiful Mount Vernon, overlooking the placid 



Centennial flDemonal 131 

and peaceful Potomac, our brethren are assembled to-day in the character of 
Masons, to testify that time has not weakened their veneration for his memory, nor 
years brought forgetfulness of his countless virtues. From the East and the 
West, from the North and the South, yea, even from the isles of the sea, Masons 
have come to-day to mark the first century of his departure from earth to heaven. 

In like manner are we, and are thousands of Lodges and tens of thousands of 
Masons, assembled this evening to proclaim our love for his memory and to con- 
gratulate ourselves that by and through his noble heroism and patriotic actions, 
liberty still lives, and America is free. 

You ask why we, as Masons, assemble to do honor to his memory? I will 
answer you: 

Masons have everywhere been benefactors of their race; they have cham- 
pioned every cause dear to the poor, the ignorant, and the oppressed, and have 
many times fought the battles of human liberty against the votaries of tyranny and 
superstition; they have always borne aloft the banner of religious liberty. 

From age to age the light of divine truth has been shining upon our altars, 
and we have guarded the Word of God as closely, and we have followed its tradi- 
tions, preserving its golden pages in our hands, and hiding its teachings in our 
hearts. We are, therefore, holding these ceremonies in honor of Washington, who, 
when this nation struggled for its rights among the greater powers around it, 
stood among the other Masons surrounding the open Bible with their uplifted 
swords, renewing their vows to set free the captives of power, to make the life of 
the poor a less burden to them, to teach men their rights, and to enlighten those 
whom ignorance and error held in bondage, and to help make the world a better 
place for men to live in. Washington was bound by these same sacred ties that 
bind us, and he lived and died the noblest type of American manhood in this or 
any other age. 

In the arena of public affairs, in science, literature, statesmanship and politics, 
the life of Washington has been told over and over again, till such words seem 
familiar and are half meaningless; that his writings and words spoken, serve to 
this day to mould public opinions and national affairs, no one with authority dare 
deny. 

He was a splendid type of the Divine Master's handiwork — tall, erect, com- 
pactly built, polite, courteous; loving but not demonstrative; firm in his purpose, 
but never overbearing; strong in his convictions, but ever mindful of the wishes 
of others; sincere in his love for his country and his countrymen, no labor was 
ever too great for him to undertake, no danger too threatening to deter him from 
espousing the cause of justice and right. A devout churchman, for years a steady 
worker in that body, manifesting by his words as well as by his deeds, the noble- 



1^2 ^be TKHasbinoton flDasonic 

ness of his character and his duty, and his love for both God and man. In fact, the 
Bum of his good deeds passes human comprehension, and his reward is the limitless 
and deathless gratitude of every dweller in his matchless land. 

Washington's home life was an ideal of domestic happiness; born in a humble 
cottage, less than thirty feet square, upon a farm of a thousand acres, lying along 
the banks of the Potomac river, he possessed a complete reflection of the loving 
disposition and grace of manners of his mother. His youth was spent in farming, 
a vocation but little more profitable then than now, and in studying books whenever 
he had an opportiinity. At the age of twenty-seven he married the young and hand- 
some widow of Daniel P. Custis. Speaking of his marriage, one historian writes: 
"The dark eyes of the comely little bride were brighter and handsomer than ever, 
and her usual dignity was softened by the characteristic Southern graciousness, to 
please those about her, while Washington was the handsomest man of that hand- 
some assemblage." 

From the date of his marriage, in 1759, to 1779, Washington was a farmer, 
vestryman in the Episcopal church, sportsman, and member of the Legislature, as 
well as being twice elected to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia. 

Hei was extraordinarily prominent in those days for his lavish hospitality, 
made possible through his great wealth, and for his military successes. Both 
Washington and his wife were exceedingly fond of company, their "At Home" days 
being every day in the week and every week and month in the year. Guests from 
every portion of the land filled his house, relatives and friends, the aristocracy and 
the nobleman, the politician and the clergy, all found a ready welcome within his 
household. 

An exquisite horseman and fearless rider, many were the hunts indulged in 
by both Washington and his guests. The chief quality in a horse, he often as- 
serted, was to "go ahead," consequently, he usually outstripped his companions, and 
was always "in at the death." 

Washington left Mount Vernon in 1775 to attend the Continental Congress, a 
colonel of militia. He returned after an absence of eight years, a conqueror, of 
whom Louis XVI of France, Carlos IV of Spain, Frederick the Great, and the powers 
of Great Britain, were outspoken in proclaiming his greatness. 

The wisdom and foresight of Washington were clearly manifested in his selec- 
tion of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson for two of his Cabinet ministers, 
their great minds being honestly fired with radically opposite ideas — one of "an- 
archy," and the other with "monarchy." Washington was enabled to discern clearly 
the middle course, and to follow it, thus perpetuating a government free from 
"centralized power" or "state rights," and founding a nation "that shall never 
perish from the earth." 



Centennial flDemorial 153 

The personal character of Washington stands forth as pure and clear as a 
Greek statue, which has lain serene and white in the bosom of mother earth for 
centuries. Probably no man ever lived who was so little understood as Washing- 
ton. The historian has exhausted every source of l^nowledge to tell the minutest 
details of his life. Every house in which he lived has been fully described. His 
private letters have been searched out and given to the world until they are fa- 
miliar. Yet, despite all these things, and the thorough knowledge of his great 
fame, the character of Washington is not understood by posterity, which to-day 
reverences his memory. The sternness of his character is shown by the silent and 
thorough manner in which he crushed out the slights, the sneers, and intrigues of 
his jealous enemies at home, notably such men of high rank as President Mifflin of 
the Continental Congress, and Generals Gates, Wilkinson and Conway, who were 
continually plotting against him, and hoping for his failure and final overthrow, 
almost as eagerly as was Cornwallis himself. General Conway, in writing to Gen- 
eral Gates, said that "heaven was determined to save our country, else a weak 
general and bad counselors would have ruined it." 

The sincerity of his actions in the noble cause he had espoused, is made most 
clear in rebuking his brother for having furnished the British army with provisions 
in order to save Mount Vernon from damage, using these words: "It would have 
been less painful to me to have heard that in consequence of your non-compliance 
with their request, they had burnt my house and laid my plantation in ruins." 

His persistency is manifested by the fact that while Congress was considering 
the reduction of the army, Washington was laying his plans to move down the 
Chesapeake, which resulted in the surrender of Cornwallis and his entire army at 
Yorktown. 

His fearless bravery was established by his reply to an officer, who, anxious 
for his safety at a time of extreme peril and danger, reminded him of his perilous 
position. "If you think I am in danger," said Washington, "you are at liberty to 
go back." 

The nobility of his character has been too lightly referred to by the historian 
In relating the tempting offer made him to establish a monarchy in America, with 
himself as king. No other man in that day could have resolutely declined such an 
offer. None other than Washington would have done so; and a French orator, in 
describing the scene of Washington resigning his commission as Commander-in- 
Chief of the Continental army, says: "A crown, decked with jewels lay upon the 
book of the constitution. Suddenly Washington seizes it, breaks it, and flings the 
pieces at the assembled people. How small ambitious Caesar seems beside the 
hero of America." 



134 '^^^ imasblnoton flDasonic 



Washington's statesmanship and marvelous judgment are shown most con- 
clusively in his words, both before and after the final adoption of the Constitution 
of the United States, saying in opposition to the half-hearted measures proposed by 
some members of the convention: "If to please the people we offer them what we 
ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a 
standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of 
God." And on September 17th, 1797, the date on which Washington affixed his 
handsome signature to our Constitution, he said, as he stood at the table, pen in 
hand: "Should the States reject this excellent Constitution the next one will be 
drawn in blood." 

And thus in Washington we see a famous soldier, who conducted a long and 
trying war to a successful end, a fact wholly impossible without him. 

We see a great statesman who did more than all other men to shape and lay 
the foundations of our government, which has continued in prosperity for more 
than a century. 

We see in him a man of great intellectual force and will of iron, a pure and 
high-minded gentleman, of dauntless courage, stainless honor, stately of manner, 
kind and generous of heart. 

Such was George Washington, and he will always receive, as years increase 
in number, the admiration and reverence of mankind, because they see embodied in 
his character the noblest possibilities of humanity. 



CENTRAL CITY. 

Central City, Colo., December 16, 1S99. 
Ed. C. Parmelee, Grand Secretary, Denver, Colo. : 

Dear Sir and Brother — The Washington Centennial Memorial Ex- 
ercises were appropriately observed on the evening of December 1-i, 1899, 
by the Lodges of Gilpin County. The Lodges met at Masonic Hall, Cen- 
tral City, and proceeded to the Opera House as a body, where the following 

programme was held: 

An Address Upon the Early Influence of Masonry on the Development 
of the American Idea of the Equality of Men, as Expressed in the 
Declaration of Independence and Its Culmination in the Independ- 
ence of the American Colonies E. LeNeve Foster . 

Selection Orchestra 



Centennial nPeniorlal i^ 

Reading of Letters from the Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge 

and Brother A. A. Treat P. A. Kline 

Duet Brothers Bate and Tippett 

An Address on the Personal Character and Public Services of Wash- 
ington Flor Ashbaugh 

Selection Orchestra 

Reading of an Account of Washington's Last Illness Thomas Bate 

Solo William Tippett 

Reading, "Washington's Farewell Address" H. G. Thurman 

Song, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" Audience 

The above named speakers and singers were Master Masons. The 
public were admitted to the Opera House, and a fairly good audience was 
present, considering the weather. 

Fraternally yours, 

F. H. Owen, 

Secretary No. 6, A. F. and A. M. 

ADDRESS OF PAST GRAND MASTER ERNEST LE NEVE FOSTER. 

Just a century ago there was transpiring at Mount Vernon an event fraught 
with the greatest moment and interest to the young American Republic, and ere 
the clock struck the midnight hour, the news went forth that the spirit of George 
Washington had taken its flight, and that he had gone to the undiscovered country 
from whose bourn no traveler returns. 

It was not with the rapidity of the electric spark, which to-day would in a 
moment have flashed the important intelligence to the whole civilized world, but 
with the slow processes of communication then existing, that the American people 
learned of the great loss they had sustained. That George Washington, the 
Father of his Country, was dead; that he who had been immortalized as "First in 
war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen;" he — whose master 
mind, history informs us, did so much toward laying broad and wide the solid foun- 
dation for the upbuilding of the grand fabric that to-day has taken its place as the 
Great American Republic, and dominates the land, an illustration of a free people, 
who not only enjoy privileges of self-government, equality and freedom, but are 
desirous of extending the same boon to all people, and to do so are ready to defend 
the weak against the strong, and to seal with their very blood the principles with 
which they are inculcated — would no longer guide the destinies of the young nation. 



136 ^be TKHasbinflton fIDasonic 



Yet though it is true that his mortal frame would no longer tread the paths ot 
earth, or his commanding voice be heard to stir the air with the grand inspirations 
which filled his brain, he was not dead, for "He is not dead whose glorious mind 
lifts thine on high; to live in hearts we leave behind, is not to die." He had left 
behind a record and heritage which it has been the lot of but few to attain, for, not- 
withstanding the lapse of time, whose ruthless hand in a few short years blots out 
the memory of almost all of us, one hundred years has not sufliced to even dim 
the virtues and greatness of this patriot, statesman and Mason, but on the con- 
trary, as time passes on, his greatness becomes more and more apparent, and, like 
the rolling snow-ball, which increases in size, so his admirers, who, though at first 
were counted only by the thousands, to-day number the whole American people, 
70,000,000 strong, from the small child who can scarce lisp the name of Washington, 
to the tottering old man, who had only just entered the world when Washington 
left it, are ready to proclaim his greatness and enthuse at the mention of the 
name of him who did so much for the cause of liberty and constitutional govern- 
ment. 

Washington at an early age imbibed the grand principles of Masonry, for on 
the 4th day of November, 1752, or before he had reached his majority, he was 
initiated an E. A., not, however, receiving the Master's degree until the August fol- 
lowing. This, we confidently believe, was the first step in the direction that led 
him on and on, until he arrived at the noble goal of the first citizen on the Amer- 
ican continent, and gave him the position which he holds in history and in the 
hearts of a grateful people. The pure and glorious principles of the institution 
imparted to him at this impressionable period of his life, were a potent force among 
the many sources of culture that helped to prepare that active mind, and shape the 
breadth and strength of his intellect, and so energized the activities of his spirit. 
The wisdom and truth that burned upon the Masonic altar were to him in after 
life a stimulus and inspiration to perform its duties. 

Thus it was that the seed sown on that November evening fell on rich soil, 
and grew and fiourished, bringing forth fruit one hundred fold. As the years 
rolled by this knowledge ripened into a love and zeal for the institution, and even 
amid the trials, struggles, perils and excitements of his life spent in battling for 
the liberties of his country, and the endeavor to preserve them when once attained, 
he never lost sight of the principles taught him on the checkered floor. 

I might mention one instance of his love and veneration for the institution, 
which was shown during the war of the Revolution. In the Forty-sixth Regiment of 
the British army there was a traveling Lodge, with a warrant from the Grand Lodge 
of Ireland. After an engagement between the American and British forces, in 
which the latter were defeated, the private chest of the Lodge, containing its jewels. 



Centennial flDemorial 137 

furniture and implements, fell into the hands of Washington's troops. When this 
was reported to him, he at once ordered the chest to be returned to the Lodge and 
the regiment, under a guard of honor. The surprise and the feeling of both officers 
and men may be imagined when they perceived the flag of truce that announced the 
elegant compliment from their noble opponent, but still more noble Brother. The 
guard of honor, with music playing a sacred march, the chest containing the con- 
stitution and implements of the craft borne aloft like another Ark of the Covenant, 
equally by Englishmen and Americans, who had but lately engaged in combat, was 
carried through the lines of the regiment, who presented arms and colors, hailed 
the glorious act by cheers which the sentiment rendered sacred as the hallelujahs 
of an angel's song. 

With a chieftain thus endowed, is it to be wondered at that he should have 
been surrounded by others in like manner impressed with the force, wisdom, 
strength and beauty of the same institution, and that his personality and love for 
these principles should have influenced his association with them? 

Beginning at the earliest period of the development of the country and nation. 
Masonry is found influencing its growth and institutions. The Puritan landed at 
Plymouth, and the Cavalier at Jamestown, after which followed the struggle of 
those early settlers to get a foothold on the soil of the new continent. The natural 
difficulties in the new surroundings, the resistance of savage tribes, as well as 
the attacks of wild beasts, had to be overcome, and these, together with the neces- 
sity for a proper administration of the affairs of the new land, called forth the 
four cardinal virtues. Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice. To strengthen 
and sustain this civilization as it spread over the new world, it was necessary to 
raise the barriers of education and religion, which were conducted in rough and 
primitive buildings erected to the service of the Great God, and side by side with 
these, cheering and supporting them, appeared the first Masonic altars. 

Taking these historic spots as a starting point, it is needless to recapitulate 
every step in the progress of the people, from that time until the whole continent 
was reclaimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; but it is not too great a claim for 
Masonry, to say that it was a potent factor in the great change, and a co-worker 
with both school house and church in the wonderful achievements that constitute 
the warp and woof of our present civilization. 

Still I hear some of the unitiated say: WTiat is Masonry, and what are its 
principles, that you claim so much for it? I say to the inquiring mind, read the 
life of George Washington, and you can learn from his character and actions what 
its principles are. They will teach you what real Masonry is. or, to state it 
briefly: Masonry is a human expression of the human needs for liberty, order and 
justice. 



138 tTbc imiasbinoton fIDasonic 

The instructions given to the novitiate, when he is first received into the 
fraternity, are that he should be true to Ihe government under which he lives, and 
just to that country, that he must conform with cheerfulness to the government, 
and do all he can to uphold the authority of the rulers whose laws afford him pro- 
tection; further, that he is to be loyal and discountenance disloyalty. 

From the Sacred Book we learn that in the construction of the Temple of 
Solomon, this idea was exemplified by the vast host of men employed in different 
capacities to gather and place in position the material of which it was built; not 
only wore they found upon the hilltop, where that majestic fabric based on earth 
rose unto the skies, but also in the shadows of the mountains of Lebanon, upon the 
sea and in the quarries, and following these principles they so wrought together in 
harmony, that neither confusion nor discord interrupted the work. 

The Masonic doctrine of the equality of man teaches the two fundamental 
principles of all just government, the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of 
Man. Even before the Netherlands rose from amidst the endyked waves, before 
the Commonwealth of England had formulated its Magna Charta, before this 
Republic had risen with its declaration and constitution and set on fire the beacon 
light of liberty that should be reflected to all shores, the Masonic Fraternity had 
taught to a hundred generations of men the undying essentials of growth and free- 
dom and law. 

Masonry has never aided tyrants; in its light the rich, the poor, the prince and 
the peasant disappear, and man stands level and equal in natural light. It has 
never allied itself with unjust authority; it could not — the law of its being does not 
tolerate alliance with oppression, the very essence of its existence is organized 
justice, in it the weak and many are banded for self-protection, for justice and for 
charity. 

Masonry has never drawn an unholy sword or sought to hallow an unholy 
altar; no prisons built by its malice stand along the pathway of man's happiness; 
no men demand their martyrs of its channels, no nation demands the liberty of its 
usurping powers. Drawing its inspiration from the Holy Bible, in its creed the es- 
sentials of human growth, safety and freedom are found. Then laying its founda- 
tions on no reserved ground of Church or State, but in the affections of the human 
heart, it there fortifies itself and becomes impregnable, using as its motto. "To 
Cresar Caesar's and to God God's own." Thus it was that there was infused into 
the government those ideas which through the ages had been working to produce 
the love of freedom so attempered as to originate the sublime spectacle of a gov- 
ernment administered by the people and for the people; and it was George Wash- 
ington, the Mason and patriot, who was the herald to proclaim, and the statesman 
to give, them lasting shape in constitutional liberty and popular government. Not 



Centennial HDcniorial 139 

only was he the friend of his country, but looking back through the long vistas and 
the results of his actions, we see that he was just as great a friend of the country 
whose yoke he threw off. The line of policy and thought in that nation, produced 
by the loss of its richest colony, has helped to upbuild it, by a more judicious use 
of its power, and a more just treatment of its other colonies, so that at this time 
the loyalty of Canada and Australia and its other possessions are like Ceesar's wife. 
It is shown in the recent readiness of those colonies to join the Mother Country in 
upholding the very principles which Washington fought for, the right of represen- 
tation and just taxation for the Uitlander living in the land of a so-called Republic, 
but Republic only in name. What, then, is more probable than that when the pro- 
pitious time arrived, Washington and his cotemporaries found themselves In a po- 
sition which made it necessary to formulate a plan of government for the colonies 
that were about to throw off the yoke of the Mother Country than that they 
should select as a model the institution to which they were devoted, and found the 
government upon the same bread principles of equality and liberty? 

It has been asserted that of the fifty-five signers of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence all but two were Masons; this, however, is probably an excessive claim, 
as there appears no well authentic record of its having been so; but there is not 
the slightest doubt that a large number of them were. The Mason, reading between 
the lines of that historic document, as important to the American as the Magna 
Charta of King John's time to the Englishman and the whole Anglo-Saxon race, 
can see there traced out the principles and tenets of the noble institution which 
have now become a part of the civilization of the country, and helped to illumine 
the pages of its history. 

And a hundred years from now it is the earnest hope of every Mason that our 
posterity may again meet under the auspicious patronage and love of the fraternity, 
whose privilege it has been to organize these Memorial Services throughout the 
length and breadth of our land, and then again revive the virtue, great deeds and 
recollections of our departed brother. 



ADDRESS OF FLOR ASHBAUGH. 

I fear that I have accepted too thoughtlessly the place I occupy upon this 
programme to-night. When requested by the committee a few days since to essay 
this task, my casual thought was that a short extemporaneous talk, consisting of 
historical outlines, varied by a few words of eulogy, would be sufficient. Investi- 
gation showed that I was to exhibit and describe to you to-day a jewel so brilliant, 
so pure, that I shrink from the service as one unworthy so high a duty. And yet. 



140 ^be iMagblnflton flDagontc 

it is a labor of love. Tlie few minutes snatched each day from a very busy week 
in which to contemplate the beautiful character of Washington, have been seasons 
of pleasure, and filled my heart with a glow of gratitude that this rare nature, this 
perfection of American manhood is ours. Ours to emulate; ours to hold in loving re- 
membrance; ours to crown with encomiums; ours to hold up before the entire 
world, challenging it to produce a grander hero. I cannot trust my memory in the 
performance of this service. Every sentence descriptive of this "noblest American 
of them all" should be perfect, rounded to its fullest meaning. For each word of 
adulation will meet an answering glow from every face that looks into mine, and 
find an echo in each heart. 

These are days of skepticism as regards human perfection. We worship our 
heroes a little while — but not without a few mental reservations — a sort of proviso 
attachment. We take them on probation, as it were— if they stand the test, we 
continue our friendship; if not, we forget them. But the character of Washington 
has come to us through the hundred years unscathed, untarnished by a single 
blemish. King, prince, potentate, poet, philosopher, warrior and statesman, have 
risen, flashed in meteoric brilliancy athwart the great dome of our national sky, and 
gone down into the darkness and oblivion of the eternal past — but the name of 
Washington lives on. When we turn loose upon other celebrities the shafts of criti- 
cism, we breathe his name with reverent attention. This is triumph of the personal 
character — a direct refutation of the favorite dogma of this rapid age, "that it does 
not pay to live an honorable lite." Too often we see an otherwise great character 
hampered by minor characteristics which mar its equilibrium and prevent its rising 
to true greatness. With our hero this was not the case. Thoroughly balanced at 
all points, he presented to the world an example of such forbearance, self control 
and benignity as made all men marvel, and forced even the narrow-minded and 
envious to respect him. In the quiet pursuit of his calling — that of surveyor — he 
moved along through the early years of his lite, tranquilly waiting for the illuming 
hand of destiny. It is a beautiful thought that when the Grand Master of the 
Universe is marking out the future greatness of a nation He is also moulding the 
men who will be the instruments for accomplishing that benign purpose; history in- 
variably illustrates this, whether he shall lead on to victory for his country, and 
crown that victory by a life of happiness and peace in the full fruition of his years 
of sacrifice and privation, as did Washington — or whether he shall stoer the ship of 
state through all the stormy voyage, and, as the morning dawns, with the peaceful 
harbor just in sight, he shall lay his tired head and great loving heart low in a 
martyr's grave, as did Lincoln — the Anointing Hand is as surely discernible. 

Average human nature is marked by many good traits. There are many good 
m.en and women in the world whose rugged integrity compels our admiration and 



Centennial flDemorial 14' 

respect; but when we become cognizant of a character distinguished by all the 
beautiful attributes that humanity is capable of, we know with reverent knowledge 
that man is divinely commissioned for the execution of a noble work. Such was 
Washington. All the traits of a great martyr were his — he was loyal, steadfast, 
honest, brave, sincere and unselfish. His loyalty manifested itself early in the 
devotion to his king and the mother country. Not until he was convinced beyond 
all doubt that they were opposing the colonies, that their main feeling toward 
America was not one of interest and affection such as a government should have 
for dependent colonies, but was one of greed, tyranny and avarice, did he consent 
to declare for independence; but when that allegiance was finally transferred to 
the struggling weaker power, every energy of his life was devoted to the cause he 
had espoused. Oh! happy America, to have the love and championship of a man 
like Washington! 

Loyalty was but one of the characteristics of this great man. Of itself. It 
would scarcely have been remarkable; but to that loyalty was added courage; to 
courage, patience; to patience, perseverence; to perseverence, benevolence; to 
benevolence, mercy. All these, supplemented by firmness, clear judgment, self- 
control, a highly cultivated intelligence, and almost phenomenal power of both 
physical and mental endurance, and we have in view a crystallization of character 
as wonderful as it is unusual. What wonder that little children gathered at his 
approach to scatter flowers in his pathway! That people came from all parts of 
the country to shout his praises and do him honor! What wonder that our Wendell 
Phillips's almost inspired pen traced of him this glowing tribute: "Were I to tell 
you the story of Washington, I should take it from your hearts — you, who think 
no marble white enough on which to carve the name of the Father of his Country!" 

Washington's whole life from early manhood might be called a series of public 
services. Would that I were versed in the ways of older and more eloquent 
speakers, that I might by command of enthusiasm and versatility of expression, 
impart upon your minds an appreciation of the many and important services 
George Washington rendered America. He seemed ever to have a deep sense of 
responsibility for the welfare and prosperity of his country, even while it was 
composed of separate colonies. He seemed vividly interested in every measure 
that came up for their improvement, and deeply anxious over anything that tended 
to their undoing. It was this solicitude, doubtless, that prompted him to undertake 
in November, 1753, that important but hazardous expedition to the Canadian post 
near Lake Erie, to demand, in the name of the king of England, the withdrawal of 
the French from the territory which was claimed by Virginia. This perilous enter- 
prise had been declined by a number of brave officers; yet Washington accepted 
the commission, and through many difficulties and many perilous adventures 



142 Zhc Masbington flDasonic 



brought it to a successful termination. This was his initial service. Through the 
years that followed, until difficulties began to arise between the colonies and the 
mother country, he served his king loyally and with distinguished honor. He 
served as a soldier, always trusted with the command of bodies of soldiery. He 
was eminently fitted through his knowledge of the country and its mode of warfare, 
to conduct military movements; and had his suggestions been adopted, many 
humiliating defeats would have been avoided. With wonderful forbearance and 
patience he strove to counteract the effect of the obstinacy that woild take no 
advice, and did much to control and influence affairs for the benefit of his beloved 
Colonies. 

Washington's wonderful forbearance was often sorely taxed, but there was 
one point on which he would not yield; that point was the relative position of his 
majesty's soldiers and the provincials, as the colonial soldiers were then called. 
Any attempt to relegate the American soldier to an inferior position met with 
determined remonstrance from Washington, and at one time for that cause, he 
indignantly resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon. He was event- 
ually induced to again identify himself with military service, and as commander-in- 
chief of Virginian forces accomplished so many heroic deeds that time would fail 
to enumerate them. 

With the cessation of Indian hostilities, and the expulsion of the French from 
Ohio, he again withdrew from military ser\ ice for the reason given before, that he 
would prefer private life to association with men who denied the equality of British 
and American officers and British and American rank and file, in the same army, 
and fighting for a common cause. Thus, although deeply attached to military ser- 
vice, he made a final surrender of his commission under British dominion, and 
again sought his quiet home. 

This slight divergence from the subject is to illustrate the true, just nature of 
the man, and shows that even then, a spirit of independence and universal equality 
was lurking in the heart of Washington, and doubtless finding an echo in many 
other American hearts. 

We have gone thus far with Washington, through his preparation for the great 
■work that lay before him. We have seen him as the loyal subject of the King, ac- 
cepting tasks that others lacked the courage to accept, and we have seen him as 
the loyal comrade, retiring from a pursuit he loved, rather than compromise the 
dignity of American soldiers. Now we see him called by a unanimous voice to an 
arena in which his fame and greatness was to become world-wide, for throughout 
the length and breadth of the land the cry arose, "The cause of Boston is the 
cause of all." That cry caused the convening of the first Continental Congress, 



Centennial nPemortal 143 

and to this Congress, as delegate, came Washington, drawn there by the appealing 
voice of his countrymen, and by the promptings of the loftiest patriotism. 

No need to go into the details of the years that followed; every schoolboy 
knows the history of the seven years of bloody struggle. From Concord to Lex- 
ington, from Lexington until the treaty of 1783; it was a time of sorrow, of priva- 
tion, and sacrifice for the colonists, and of the deepest care for the Commander-in- 
Chief. No dress parade war was that for our patriotic hero and his suffering sol- 
diers. In poverty, cold and hunger, oppressed by all forms of dire necessity, thoy 
fought their way through those terrible seven years. Perhaps in all the colonies 
not another man could have been found that would have remained steadfast through 
the besetting discouragements of that time. Who but Washington could have 
cheered that desolate army, till hard pressed, as they were, they were willing to 
endure yet a little longer? 

How unselfish was his love for his country and its defenders! We of the 
present day would do well to remember, in contemplating the services of this man, 
that while our favorite warriors of to-day draw comfortable salaries which continue 
after they retire, and are turned into pensions for their widows after their death, 
Washington drew no salary, would accept no pay, but gave his services for seven 
years to America. While our armies of to-day have all the conveniences of modern 
warfare, with abundance of food and clothing, Washington and his little band of 
patriots had nothing but the most primitive accoutrements, and often went hungry. 
Yet the sublime courage of the man, his unselfishness and personal magnetism, held 
sway over all hearts, and led the way to a triumphant closing of the war. What 
priceless service did he render to America at that time! A man makes no sacrifice 
to be a friend to America to-day — rich, powerful, independent, America can reward 
her heroes' services abundantly — but to serve a country that could not even provide 
its defenders with the necessaries of existence, to devote seven ye8,rs to battling for 
an uncertain cause, to go through dangers and hardships indescribable, in peril from 
cold, in peril from exposure, in peril from treachery, yet, with the bullets fiying 
thick about him, kneeling to pray the God of Battles for victory! Oh! matchless 
champion! where shall we find fitting language with which to express our sense of 
such service? 

How sublime must have been the emotion of this man, when, the long war 
was over, victory crowning his efforts, he listened to the treaty acknowledging the 
independence of each colony. A king might have envied him. 

Gladly would he have laid aside the habiliments of public service, and rested 
quietly in his beautiful home, but the people could trust none but the friend who 
had led them so safely out of their trouble. They would take no refusal, they would 
make him their ruler— their king. They gathered about him, eager to display their 



144 ^f^e XDmasbinoton fiDasonic 



love by placing a crown upon his head. How deeply did they mistake the nature of 
the man they delighted to honor; and how clearly did he comprehend their best 
interests, as he gently but firmly refused their request. 

No crown should adorn such a man. The richest gems that glisten in the 
crown of royalty to-day pale in the brilliancy of the integrity and unparalleled de- 
votion of Washington. 

Finding him firm in his refusal, they listened to better counsel, formed them- 
selves into a union, and elected him as their president. And on the 30th day of April, 
1789, in New York city, in the presence of an immense concourse of people, were 
instituted the inaugural ceremonies that made Washington the first President of 
the United States. His reception was marked by a grandeur never before witnessed 
in the metropolis. He had intended, hoped, to make the journey quietly, but a 
grateful, loving people turned it into an ovation. Everywhere on his way he was 
greeted by thronging crowds, eager to see the man whom they regarded as the 
defender of their liberty. And everywhere he was hailed with those manifestations 
of love which spring spontaneously from the hearts of his admiring countrymen. 

As a statesman Washington was, if possible, more popular than as a warrior. 
He was chosen for a second term by the unanimous vote of every electoral college. 
His administration for the two terms was successful beyond the expectation of his 
most sanguine friends. His policy brought success in every branch of industry. 
The finances of the country were no longer in a cramped condition, and the public 
credit was fully restored. The precedents he established have proven most wise 
and beneficial to posterity. Three new members were added to the Union, and 
friends of liberty the world over rejoiced in the demonstrated fact that a republic 
so established could live and prosper. 

Washington decidedly refused to accept a third term, and returned again to 
Mount Vernon to enjoy the rest he had so richly earned. His universal patriotism 
was again put to the test, when, in 1799, war with France was threatened, and he 
was called to take command of the United States forces, with the rank of Lieuten- 
ant-General. Luckily, a treaty of peace put a stop to the action. But the incident 
illustrates the love and esteem in which he was still held by his country, and his 
unselfish devotion in his willingness to again relinquish the peace and joy of do- 
mestic life for his country's benefit. 

One hundred years ago to-day, Washington, the brave general, the beloved 
President, the loyal American citizen, the generous friend, the honored Brother 
Mason, passed into eternal rest. We say of this beloved hero, "he is dead;" we 
pay rich tributes to his memory; we dedicate this day to him with fragrant floral 
wreaths, with solemn funeral dirge, and embalm him anew within our hearts. 
Millions to-day, all over this wide land, and in other lands across the waves, have 



Centennial flDemorial 145 

signalized this clay with grateful remembrances of liberty's most illustrious cham- 
pion — and it is well. All that we can bestow of gratitude, of love, of hero worship, 
is not too much for such services as he rendered us. But there comes to us the 
better, wider and more glorious conviction — Washington is not dead. He lives 
to-night all over America, from north to south, and from ocean to ocean. He is the 
embodiment of freedom, and he lives wherever freedom's banner waves over free- 
dom's soil. He lives in thousands of happy homes — homes that his patriotism and 
devotion made possible. He lives in our almost perfect system of public schools. 
He lives in the songs and shouts of happy little children. He lives in all the won- 
derful reforms and inventions that make the world the delightful abiding place it 
is to-day. He lives in America's universal prosperity and freedom; in her every 
triumph over land and sea; in every dedicated monument pointing heavenward. 
He lives in the valorous deeds of every boy in blue that served in '61 and '98; in 
Dewey's brilliant fame and intrepid manhood. He lives in Hawaii's happy adop- 
tion, and in poor bleeding Cuba's final redemption. He lives in the inspired procla- 
mation that gave freedom to 6,000,000 of human beings. In every star, stripe and 
fold of Old Glory. 

And more vividly than all else, he lives in Masonry. Down deep in the heart 
of every true Mason he exists imperishably, and will exist until the Grand Master 
of the Universe shall inscribe our names on the roll book of eternity. 



COLORADO SPRINGS. 

Hall of El Paso Lodge No. 13, A. F. and A. M. 

February 23, 1900. 

To the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren of El Paso Lodge No. 
13, A. F. and A. M.: 

Your committee on the Memorial Services to be held on tlte anniver- 
,sary of the death of Brother George Washington, beg leave to submit the 
following report: 

Lodge was opened on the tbird degree of Masonry with Past blas- 
ters acting as officers, and proceeded to the Christian Church, where the 



146 ^be TllHasblnoton fIDasonic 

following programme was rendered, following the request of the Most Wor- 
shipful Grand Lodge : 

Brother Ira Harris, as chairman. 

First — The reading of an account of Washington's last illness, from 
the diary of his secretary, by Brother E. P. Hufford. 

Second — The reading of a personal letter to the Lodges of Colorado 
from the Worshipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, of which 
Washington was the first Master, under its Virginia charter, which letter 
includes an account of Washington's Masonic life, by Brother J. P. Madden. 

Third — An address upon the early influence on the development of the 
American idea of the equality of men, as expressed in the Declaration of 
Independence, and its culmination in the independence of the American 
colonies, by Brother Robert D. Graham. 

Fourth — An address on the personal character and public services of 
Washington, by Brother W. T. Miller. 

Fifth — The reading of Washington's Farewell Address, by Brother 
Isaac S. Harris. 

The able addresses offered by Brothers Eobert D. Graham and W. T. 
Miller accompany this report. 

(Signed) J NO. Williams, 
G. D. Kexxedy, 
E. J. Smith, 

A. M. HOLDEX, 
G. W. MUSSEK, 

Committee. 



ADDRESS OF R. D. GRAHAM. 

Ladies and Genilemen, and Brethren: 

The topic that has been assigned to me for the evening is somewhat lengthy. 
I would not ask you to remember that; it Is too long. So I have taken the liberty 
to boil down this topic and express it as I understand its meaning, in these words: 
"The destiny of America, and the part Masonry has played in working up that 
destiny." I am very much in favor of public services like this that we are holding 



Centennial flDeniorial 147 

at the present time. There seems to be a wrong impression in regard to the Order 
that we represent. There always have been wrong impressions regarding good 
things. This is not a secret society; it is a society with secrets. Some years ago 
I had the privilege of addressing El Paso Lodge No. 13, and I emphasized that at 
the time. There is a vast difference between a secret society and a society with 
secrets. For instance, if I were to ask you the purpose and plan of the so-called 
Clan Na Gael Society, you could tell me nothing about it. It is a secret society. 
But if I asli you the purpose and the motive of Masonry, any intelligent man or 
woman can tell at once what its ideas are, and what it stands for, and what its 
purposes are, even though it has secrets. I say I believe in such a service as this, 
because it brings prominently before the people, as this Anniversary Service will 
do, the beauties of the society that we love, and the society that we mean to do all 
we can to honor. You know it does not always follow that because people are say- 
ing nothing they are "sawing wood." Why, the Sphinx has not spoken a word for 
five thousand years, and all it has to show for it is a pile of sand. Masons do not 
go around parading their virtues, or their goodness, or their ability, or anything of 
that kind, but you know even Balaam's ass spoke once, and I don't see why we 
should not, once in a while at least, find our way out into the world, and let people 
know what we are and what we stand for. 

I am thoroughly impressed with this fact — that the history of the United 
States, read by any person of average intelligence, will convey this impression: that 
it is not ordinary history, such as you will find regarding the nations of Europe. 
Now, speaking of my text — you know I am a preacher and must have a text — if 
you will turn away back into the Old Testament, you will find a scene in Jacob's 
time. Jacob was about to depart to be with his fathers. He asked Joseph, the 
favorite boy, to bring his two sons into his presence that he might bless them. 
The two boys were brought there, and the old man crossed his hands and he put 
the right hand, which would have the greater blessing, upon the head of the 
younger boy. Joseph drew the attention of the old man to this fact, and he said, 
"Let it be." He knew what he was doing, and in putting off Joseph he informed 
him that both of the boys would represent great nations, but the younger of the 
boys would in all respects be greater than the elder. 

For the purpose of analogy and pointing a moral or drawing an outline, sup- 
pose that we say these two boys represent England and America. Suppose for a 
moment that the elder is England. You know that a service like this brings very 
vividly to my mind the scenes of a little over a hundred years ago. There was a 
man who got things a little mixed the other day when he told me that the Boer has 
got John Bull by the horns, and a fellow standing by answered, "No, that is not 
the way he has him; that he had got John Bull by the lion's tail." And some Way 



148 Zl)c ianac'binoton noasonic 

a service like this is bound to bring to my memory the scenes when the younger 
boy in my text had John Bull by the lion's tail, too. We have a great deal of 
sympathy for the Boers In this their struggle for Independence. 

In the providence of God. this hemisphere was reserved for a special purpose, 
and that purpose was the exhibition of the highest form of human government 
capable among men. See what that means? It means that there is a Supreme 
Architect, as Masons love to designate Jehovah, God, and that according to tlie 
plan and purpose of that great beneficent being, there was to be established upon 
the American continent the highest ideal of human government. Now you will see 
what it means. In the providence of that God, Masonry has been called upon to 
play an important part in working out that Ideal. Next to a theocracy, which 
would be represented by ancient Judaism before the days of the kings, the govern- 
ment under which we live is the highest ideal, a democracy. Of course, I am not 
going to enter into a political speech. The time allotted to me for this discussion 
is altogether too short, but I want to tell you that within thirty days last past I 
took a week in old Boston. A friend of mine up here in Denver, a dear old German 
brother, who was a personal friend of my father's, asked me one day why I was 
going so far away from home. I told him that I was going East to where they 
wore blue stockings, wear spectacles and eat beans, and he saj-s, "Don't tell me 
that. You know better." 

I took a walk down old Hanover street, and walked past that old church. 
Away high up in the steeple of that old church on the famous night, the lantern 
was hung. A man on a horse across the river saw that lantern, and Paul Revere 
started on his ride tiat brought the battle of Lexington and Concord into being. 
Two years and a half ago I attended a celebration, and had the honor to be, by 
proxy, a member of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, down in dear old Bridge- 
water, and they were celebrating the centennial of their Lodge, and there was their 
loved record — Paul Revere, Grand Master of Masons of Massachusetts. 'U'hat part 
did Masons play at that time? When I came to this country first. I always liked to 
go to the high places, and so I crossed over to Charlestown. and, step by step — 
there used to be an elevator in Bunker Hill Monument, but the thing did not work 
or it did not pay — so if you want to go to the top of it you have to climb. I climbed 
to the top of that monument and looked out all over those famous surroundings, 
and I thought of the battle of Bunker Hill. Then I remembeted the name of the 
general who lead the patriots at that battle, and General Joseph Warren, if you 
please, was the man who fell in the battle of Bunker Hill. Three weeks ago I was 
at a visitation of old St. Andrew's Lodge, in Boston. The Deputy Grand Master 
was making bis annual visitation, and he called for the charter of the lodge. It 
was a facsimile of the old charter, the original charter having been burned in the 



Centennial flDemoiial 149 

Boston fire, and there was tfie signature of General Joseph Warren, Grand Master 
of Masons for Massachusetts. 

You know that a man who reads much, or tries to, lives, to a very large 
extent, a solitary life. There is to every student a solitariness. Once in a while, 
though I do not begin to pretend to say that I am a student, but I like to road — 
there would come over me a feeling of peculiar loneliness, and I would go over to 
Harvard and watch the boys cut up their pranks, and walk over their lawns, and 
visit their campus, and go into their library, and out to that elm tree, and see the 
place where General George Washington took charge of the army in the days of the 
Revolution. Talk about the part that Masonry has played in working out this ideal. 

I think of the testimony that was once given in a court of justice In 1835. 
There have always been people, you know, that growl at Masons. If this was a 
church service, I would talk to you a little about a certain influence that always 
poses as good — and there was a time, you know, when it seemed as if Masonry was 
under a great cloud, the anti-Masonry movement. Upon the stand there at that 
time, a man swore that every one of the Presidents of the United States but two 
were Master Masons, and these two were the Adams. That is up to 18.35. 

I think of the days of Madison. We have been talking to, or my topic assigns 
me, something about the Declaration of Independence — these two, Madison and 
Dolly Madison, saving that valuable document when the British were coming, and 
preserving it until it could be put into safe keeping. 

I think of our dear friend, Lafayette, as a Mason. You know even in these 
days they have Lafayette, the French patriot, up as an exhibit of foolishness, be- 
cause he was a Mason. In this same testimony that this fellow gave, he said there 
was nobody amongst the Masons but great fools. When I read that, I was re- 
minded of a little incident that is said to have occurred. A dear father has a boy 
that was wayward, and a friend came to admonish the father to speak to his boy. 
The father said: "It's no use; he wouldn't listen to me. It makes no difference 
what I say to him. He will only listen to fools. Will you go and talk to him?" 

And so, if all Masons are fools, what has the world been listening to all this 
time? But I will tell you something, and it Is a consolation to you, brethren, like 
myself, that there are no bald-headed fools. No, and you will get a great many 
like those I have named that are capable of being listened to. You know they say 
that sometimes Masons become great men, but no great men become Masons. I 
wonder when a man becomes great? When he is in the President's chair, as Mc- 
Kinley is, a good Mason? Isn't the element of greatness in him long before, and 
doesn't it just express itself? 

I tell you to-night, and that is one of the highest honors that can be conferred 
upon this Order, that that pursuit of happiness, the inalienable right which the 



I50 Zl)C XRIlasbinoton flDasonic 

Declaration of Independence says belongs to every man, of life and liberty, these 
things that are inherent in manhood as such, are the underlying tenets of this 
Order that we love. It would have been utterly impossible, it will be as long as 
time shall last and this Order exists, impossible for despotism, tyranny, for wrong 
or oppression in civil or religious affairs, to exist alongside of this Order. I turn 
to Old Mexico, and see the priest-ridden people liberated from Romanism. I asked 
the reason why. I asked the secret of it, and I found that in the liberty of that 
people in Mexico the secret lies in the part of the army. I go a step further, and I 
found that there is not an ofTicer in the Mexican army that is not a Freemason. I 
will go a step further, and say that there never will be an officer in that army ex- 
cept he be a Freemason. 

I am reminded of a little story in regard to a boy who was leading a large dog 
along. The dog seemed to be having the best of it. A friend came along and 
wanted to know where he was going to take the dog. The boy said, "That isn't 
what's bothering me. What's bothering me is where the dog is going to take me." 
And so things have changed, and it isn't a question of what is going to become of 
Masonry, but of what Masonry is going to do for this world of ours. It is not a 
question of what tyranny or despotism is going to do with us. It is somewhat 
changed. The question now is, what are we going to do with it? That is the point. 

Speaking of the Declaration of Independence. Away back when Thomas 
Jefferson, who has the credit of drawing up this wonderful instrument, the Declara- 
tion of Independence, was engaged in this work, in the community was a little 
Baptist church, and if you want to have an exhibition of the purest democracy— 
(not the Democratic party) — you will find it in a well regulated, well organized 
Baptist church. And do you know that he got his ideas, at least, it is commonly 
reported that he got his ideas, from that source? And so I find great pleasure 
to-night in speaking not only as a man and as a Mason, but as a Baptist, in regard 
to the work that this great Order has done in bringing about the equality of men. 
I might go on and name a great many more Revolutionary heroes who said in 
word and in deed, "By the grace of God, and the sacrifice of our blood, we will 
give vent to the independent wish, and we won't let you make us groan." So, 
indeed. Masonry has had a wonderful influence in America. It is said that when 
the war was in progress, that cluminated in the Declaration of Independence, that 
it was almost impossible to tell when the Committee of Public Safety adjourned 
and the Lodge gathered. It was all one and the same thing. 

There was a time, you know, when Boston was famous for one more thing 
than eating beans. They had a tea party down there once. I have gone down 
to that old wharf and looked at the place where the ship lay in the offing. A party 
of red Indians boarded the vessel that night, and, of course, red Indians don't know 



Centennial flPemorlal iv_ 

anything about tea, but these red Indians linew something about taxes, and these 
red Indians knew something about a certain tavern up Hanover street where the 
Masonic Lodge used to meet. I would not say to-night that these red Indians were 
Masons. I would not lilie to leave, however, the impression in your minds that 
they were not Masons. They went down, and you have all read about this Boston 
tea party and the result of that tea party. 

I love to think, if you will pardon another reference to a thing that is dear to 
me, that the rectory across the street from the spot where the first American blood 
was spilled, is now the Traveler building. There used to be an old church standing 
there, and in front of that old church was a little lawn, and upon that lawn the 
people used to be lashed upon their bare backs for certain offenses; and the first 
blood of American and civil liberty was shed just across the street, and that blood 
came from the back of a Baptist preacher, who had come up from Rhode Island to 
give consolation to a certain Baptist who happened to be in Boston. I am not 
going to name the denomination that had the poor Baptist preacher tried and 
lashed. They have outgrown all that sort of thing now. The liberty that brought 
civil rights brought religious freedom, too. 

I wish it had not been so cold to-night. I had one or two thoughts in regard 
to the subject about which I was to speak to-night, but they came pretty near get- 
ting frozen up on the road down here. I recommend to you to look for the marks 
of Masonry from the earliest days in American history up to the present time. 
You will recognize them anywhere, if you look for them. Away down in Maine 
there was once a man who expected an express package. Maine is a prohibition 
state, you know. He expected the package to come there to his name, and he went 
to the ofiice looking for the bundle. He had been in the habit of writing his name 
with a mark, a cross. He thought he wouldn't go up to the clerk and ask for the 
bundle; the clerk might not know him; but he would look around and see if he 
could see the bundle with his name on it. He got a box in the office with three 
marks on it; so he reasoned, why, of course, in order that there might be no mis- 
take, the man put his name on it three times, and he took up the box and started 
home with it. You know what he had in the box? Just like that man, if you and 
I care to look for the marks, we will find them. 

Coming back to my text — for, like the prodigal son, I must return, isn't it a 
fact that the Great Architect of the Universe has commissioned this country to 
represent His will concerning man, and that the Declaration of Independence, the 
epitome of our government, represents His will? You and I are entitled to the 
unmolested pursuit of all those things that are near and dear to the human heart. 

Brethren, they say that Masonry is an irreligious thing; that Masonry takes 
the place of the church; that Masonry somehow discredits and dishonors the 



1^2 Zhc TOlasbinoton flDasontc 



church. I appeal to all that the history of your beloved land shows, and I ask you 
if it is at all lilvely that the men who worked out the providence of God should be 
so diametrically opposed to God. It is not right; it is not reason. There is some- 
thing upon us, men and brothers. They look to us outside. They say, "He is a 
Mason." They expect .something from him. They ought to get it. What about 
the generations that are to come? As we think of Paul Revere, as we think of 
General Warren, as we think of Franklin, as we think of Washington, as we think 
of Lafayette, as we think of Madison, and all on down, will we pass on to the gen- 
erations that are yet to come the heritage that we received, torn and soiled, and 
stained and injured, or will we pass it on better than when we received it? May 
grace and wisdom be given to us so that in the plan and purpose of God those that 
shall follow us may receive from our hands in better shape, if possible, that which 
we have received from the hands that have preceded us. I tell you, men and 
women, to-night, there is something grand in the thought that the liberties, the civil 
rights and all that goes to make up this great, grand and glorious people, have been 
entrusted to nearly a million men, bonded together for the purpose of seeing that 
these things are preserved. Have we done anything like this? Is the American 
ideal of the equality of men helped by this Order? I ask you to answer. 



ADDRESS OF BROTHER W. T. MILLER. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, and Brethren of the Masonic Fraternity: 

You may not know it, but I will tell you now that I am not a preacher. I 
would not tell you, but I expect to live in your city, and if I live here many years I 
know you will find it out. I am sorry, however, that I am not good enough to be a 
preacher, because I think they are the happiest, best men in the world. I regret 
deeply that the "Old Dominion" has not present on this occasion a preacher, or at 
least an abler son to portray the personal character and public services of her 
greatest and noblest son, Washington. 

That old State produced Patrick Henry, whose eloquent words and burning 
patriotism did more to thrill the hearts of the people of the American colonies with 
the proud and lofty spirit of American liberty, than perhaps any other man. His 
immortal words in that church in Richmond, "Give me liberty or give me death," 
have echoed and re-echoed down through the ages, and to-night may strike a re- 
sponsive chord in the hearts of all true American citizens. 

That grand old State was the birthplace of the illustrious Jefferson, who 
penned the Declaration of Independence, a document which no one can read with- 
out being impressed with the idea that it was written under the influence of inspi- 



Centennial flDemorial 153 



ration. That document sounded the death knell of all despotic governments, and 
it struck the keynote of human liberty when it announced that all men are free 
and equal, and that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of 
the governed. Those sentiments will be echoed and re-echoed down through 
coming ages until all the teeming millions of the earth enjoy the same liberty that 
we now enjoy. 

The old State of Virginia has in her galaxy of statesmen, jurists and military 
heroes, many bright stars, but none of them shine with such refulgent splendor as 
that of her greatest and noblest son, the immortal George Washington. While it is 
true that he was born in the State of Virginia, and that old Commonwealth has re- 
ceived his ashes, it is also true that he was too great to be claimed only by Vir- 
ginians. That star has risen so high in the firmament that it can be seen and ad- 
mired not only by Virginians, not only by the people of the original thirteen States, 
or of the United States, but it sheds a brilliant lustre to the whole world, and all 
appreciate the unselfish life of that great and noble man. We are all, to a certain 
extent, hero worshippers, but our ideas of heroes are many and varied. Some ad- 
mire, perhaps, physical strength; some, genius; others, high intellectual powers; 
others still, goodness and purity of heart. Therefore, for me to assert that Wash- 
ington was the greatest man that America or the world has ever produced, would 
be to make an assertion which I could prove only to those whose ideal of greatness 
corresponds with my own. 

It has been contended that circumstances or the occasion, make the man. To 
this proposition I cannot accede. Circumstances may erect the stage, or the arena, 
and may select the actors who are to take part in the great dramas of life, and the 
world is invited to look on. Such was the case with Washington. 

Sometimes the time between the entrance and the exit is very brief, and glory 
is won in an hour or by a play in one single act. Such was the result, perhaps, in 
the recent wars. I would not detract from the glory won by Admiral Dewey, or 
of the renown won by the gallant Hobson, but I desire to contrast briefly the dif- 
ference between the honors won in an hour and those won by the sacrifices of the 
best part of a long life to the public good. When you take his acts, see the various 
parts that he took in the great drama of life, from the time that he first engaged in 
the French and Indian wars, until his return to his beautiful and pleasant home on 
the banks of the Potomac, after having served his country in war and in peace, re- 
turning there after two terms of service as President of the United States — I say 
that the finger of history fails to point to any man, in my judgment, who acted so 
well, so nobly, so unselfish, the various parts, as did George Washington. 

We should be proud of the fact that he was a Mason, though Masonry really 
needs no such proof of its unselfish purposes, and of the great good that it is doing 



154 ^l^e THUasbinGton fIDasonic 



to humanity. If Freemasonry could produce no further evidence that it is an insti- 
tution having for its object the promotion of the general good and happiness of 
mankind, than the fact that an unselfish and patriotic man as Washington was one 
of its enthusiastic members and great admirers, it would be sufficient proof of its 
noble purposes and unselfish objects. 

Washington received the "lamb-skin," or white leathern apron, before his ma- 
jority, and as he received it without spot or blemish, so he wore it unsullied until 
the day of his death. He drew his sword only in self-defence, or in the defence of 
his country, which is the same thing. He was not prompted by a desire for con- 
quest, or for renown of an earthly nature, as military heroes have been. He was 
there in his home, quiet and contented, when the thunders of the Revolution were 
first heard. He unsheathed his sword at the call of duty. He performed his part 
nobly and bravely under all circumstances. He was a man of the highest and 
purest type in public life. He made good use of all the working tools of Free- 
masonry. He took the Holy Bible as the rule and guide of his faith. By the 
Square he squared his actions toward all mankind. With the Compass he circum- 
scribed his desires and kept his passions within due bounds. With the common 
gavel he divested his heart of all the devices and superfluities of life, and thereby 
prepared his soul, a living stone, for that spiritual building not made with hands, 
"Eternal and in the heavens," so that when death granted him a final demit from 
Alexandria Lodge, his pure and immortal soul took its flight to that celestial Lodge 
above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides. 

Men in all ages have sought to erect monuments of an earthly character to 
perpetuate their greatness, but as yet. in vain. They have daubed with untempered 
mortar, and admitted into their structures the base and discordant materials of 
pride and ambition. Hence, their edifices have toppled from their foundations, or 
been torn assunder by internal violence, and where are they now? The weeping 
voice of History answers, "Fallen." The durability of the works of this immortal 
man and the imperishability of his memory do not depend upon the words of the 
orator, the pen-painting of the poet, the brush of the painter, or the chisel of the 
sculptor, but are firmly engraved upon the hearts of the American people and the 
lovers of liberty throughout the world. 

Now, my brethren and companions, let me say in conclusion that we will all 
do well to emulate his unselfish example, by using the working tools of Freemasonry 
for the purpose of fitting ourselves for that spiritual building that will stand when 
all earthly monuments shall have crumbled to dust. The proud and lofty structure 
of Freemasonry, sustained and supported by its author, the Great High Priest, will 
stand until the sun shall cease to rise to gild its cloud-capped towers, or the moon 
lead on the night to illuminate its starry-decked canopy. The tide of time and 



Centennial flPetnortal i^ 

chance may roll at its base; the heavy waves of calumny may beat about its walls; 
the gusts and storms cf malice may assault its lofty battlements; the fierce rains 
of persecution may descend upon its precious roof; but all in vain. Thus sustained 
and supported, it will stand until the pillars of the universe are shaken, and all 
things have passed away as the baseless fabric of vision. Then, and not till then, 
will Masonry cease to revel in charity and riot in nobleness of soil. 



CRIPPLE CREEK. 

Under the joint auspices of Mount Pisgah Lodge No. 96, Victor 
Lodge JSTo. 99 and Goldfield Lodge U. D., the Masons of the Cripple Creek 
District conducted Memorial Services commemorating the one htmdredth 
anniversary of the death of George Washington, at- the Opera House. 
They were well attended, and were marked by sublime and beautiful sen- 
timent. The address of the evening was delivered by Judge E. C. Stim- 
son of the District Court. His subject was "The Life of Washington." 

The officers for the evening were as follows : 

Worshipful Master — J. Knox Burton, Mt. Pisgah Lodge No. 96. 

Senior Warden — Harry Hendrie, Victor Lodge 'No. 99. 

Junior Warden, Luff L. Hamilton, Goldfield Lodge, LT. D. 

Treasurer — B. F. Jones, Goldfield Lodge, U. D. 

Secretary — T. L. Tremayne, Victor Lodge No. 99. 

Senior Deacon — Floyd Thompson, Mt. Pisgah Lodge ISTo. 96. 

Junior Deacon — Sol Camp, Victor Lodge ]Si"o. 99. 

Senior Steward — Wm. McKenzie, Goldfield Lodge, U. D. 

Jimior Steward — Joe Hamilton, Goldfield Lodge, U. D. 

Grand Marshal— R. Burke, Goldfield Lodge, U. D. 

Tilers— M. C. Barker, Mt. Pisgali Lodge N'o. 96 ; Cade Weaver, Vic- 
tor Lodge No. 99 ; John Jennings, Goldfield Lodge, U. D. 



1^6 Sbc "WHaebinoton flDasonic 

PROGRAMME. 

* Music — March Hospitaller's Orchestra 

Reading — By Secretary of Instructions from Most Worshipful Grand 

Master of Colorado to hold these public Memorial Services. 

Prayer Rev. C. Y. Grimes 

Bass Solo— "The Old Sexton" W. H. Cole 

Address— "The Life of Washington" Brother E. C. Stimson 

Soprano Solo — "The Holy City" (Adams) Miss Marie Neilson 

Musical Selection Hospitaller's Orchestra 

Public Services in Honor of the Memory of that Great Mason, George 

Washington. 

McKinley's Letter Brother L. H. R. von Ruecau 

Tenor Solo — "For All Eternity" (Maschereni) J. G. Jones 

Address — "The Influence of Masonry" Brother J. W. Huff 

Musical Selection Hospitaller's Orchestra 

"Account of Washington's Last Illness" T. H. Thomas 

Personal 'Letter from the Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge .... 

Brother George E. Slmonton 

Musical Selection Hospitaller's Orchestra 

"Washington's Farewell Address" Eli Cann 

Baritone Solo — "The Palm Trees" (Faure) C. Buechner 

Masonic Poem T. L. Tremayne 

Short Address and Benediction Brother William Mellen 

Musical Selection Hospitaller's Orchestra 

State Grand Masters — Virginia, J. Knox Burton; Rhode Island, Luff L. 
Hamilton; Vermont, George E. Simonton; New York, M. P. McArthur; 
Pennsylvania, W. C. Morrish; Maryland, John R. Williams; South Carolina, 
Morris Glauber; Maine, 0. J. Stevens; Massachusetts, Harry Hendrie; 
Connecticut, L. C. Shaw; New Hampshire, T. C. Keating; New Jersey, 
Frank P. Mannix; Delaware, Frank P. Moulton; North Carolina. Thomas 
R. Jones; Georgia, Leslie W. Thayer. 

Southern States — Floyd Thompson, Felix A. Walter, M. Gohen, C. M. 
Burke, A. L. Arnold, A. J. Davis. 

Western States — Thomas Livingstone, Walter C. Westcott, Henry 
Moore, Sampson Hore, Charles A. Phillips, Norris E. Eads. 

Atlantic States — Eli Cann. England— Ed Nathan. 

Central States — W. B. Squires. Germany — John E. Rinker. 

Colorado — Tom A. Smith. 



Centennial flDemorial i?7 

DEL NORTE. 

Beothek Alphonse a. Burnand, Most Worshipful Grand Master: 

Dear Brother — In compliance witJi your dispensation and request 
Del ISTorte Lodge No. 105, A. F. and A. M., convened at its hall on the 
evening of tlie 14th of December, A. D. 1899, and there opened Lodge in 
due form on the third degree. 

After so doing a live square was formed and marched to the M. E. 
Church, where the following programme was carried out in a very impres- 
sive manner: 

1. Song "America" 

2. Opening address By Master of Del Norte Lodge. 

3. Invocation Rev. Weir 

4. Song "Hail Columbia" 

5. Reading a Personal Letter from Brother Adna Adams Treat, and 

Reading of a Personal Letter from the Master of Alexandria-Wash- 
ington Lodge Brother Hill 

6. Song "Star Spangled Banner" 

7. Reading of Washington's Farewell Address Rev. Hole 

8. Song Male Quartette 

9. Address Brother Elliott 

10. Song "Auld Lang Syne" 

Benediction Rev. Hole 

After the conclusion of the ceremonies the brethren re-formed line of 
march and returned to the Lodge room, where the Lodge was closed on the 
third degree, peace and harmony prevailing. 

Thomas A. Good. 

Secretary. 

Del Norte, Colo., February 2.3, 1900. 

E. W. WooDBURT, Esq., Chairman: 

Dear Sir and Brother—Your favor of the 21st to hand, and in reply 
I have to say that the acting Master at the Memorial Exercises was Brother 



158 ^bc Wlai^binoton fIDasonic 



J no. B. Haffy. His was an oral introductory statement of the object of 
tJie meeting. I enclose you BroUier Ezra T. Elliott's address. I have it 
copied verbatim in my records. 

Fraternally 3'ours, 

Thomas A. Good, 

Secretarv. 



ADDRESS OF EZRA T. ELLIOTT. 

This fourteenth day of December, one hundred years ago, there passed from 
the stage of human action into the infinite hereafter, presided over by an all pow- 
erful Supreme Being, a man beloved by all citizens of his country, and respected 
for his mental qualifications and honorable conduct, by all countries throughout the 
civilized world. Not only was he dear to the hearts of his countrymen as an ex- 
ponent of all that was good, brave and intelligent, but he was doubly dear to thou- 
sands of Masons throughout the world who were proud to call him brother. In the 
time of darkness and adversity, when the bitter winter of Valley Forge, which has 
gone into history, tried men's hearts and souls, and made a nation weep for the 
unmerited sufferings of her noble supporters. Washington called into his councils, 
not only men of general good repute and standing for intelligence and patriotism. 
but men who had been tried by the plumb, square and level, and not found want- 
ing — men that in that dismal time he knew could be depended upon until death. 

It is a singular thing and worthy of note, that the original suggestion of the 
observance of this Memorial day should come from the Grand Lodge of Freemasons 
for the State of Colorado, a part of this continent whose existence was known 
during Washington's lifetime only vaguely as a piece of the great unexplored 
Spanish Southwest. And it is still more odd that after leading Freemasons in the 
United States had taken the plan in hand and invited the Craft in other lands to co- 
operate, that the first acceptance should have come with every manifestation of en- 
thusiasm, from far oft New Zealand, which in Washington's day was a savage do- 
minion, lately discovered and seized by Captain Cook, the explorer, in the name of 
King George of England. Nothing could mark the world's progress in the inter- 
vening century more clearly than these circumstances. 

For him, then, as an eminent Mason, Del Norte Lodge No. 105, A. F. and A. M., 
meets this evening to join with thousands of other Lodges throughout the world in 



Centennial flDemorial i?9 



holding these Memorial Services in recognition of his great ability as a man, and 
testify to their heartfelt appreciation of his manifold gifts as a worthy brother 
Master Mason. 

It is a well-known and undisputed fact that no man can be a good Mason and 
live up to the tenets of our Order, unless, independent of that qualification, he 
stands before his fellowmen as a good and exemplary citizen and a model of faith- 
fulness to his God, his country and his family. Many a man can be a good man 
without being a Mason, but no man can be a good Mason without being a good 
man. Every tenet of our Order inculcates the highest morality, the broadest char- 
ity and a devoted love to manliind as the children of God. George Washington 
probably came as near living up to this lofty ideal of the standard of Masonry as 
any other man in this or any other country has ever done, and as such a beautiful 
character Masons bow their heads to his memory and offer a fervent prayer to the 
Grand Supervising Architect of the Universe that they may in their poor way en- 
deavor to emulate his glorious example. 

Washington was a man of deep religious feeling, and his every walk in life 
as our foremost citizen, and as the plain Virginia planter, was guided by his devo- 
tion to the Almighty, his love of his country, and his affection for his family, and 
his friends. All loved him, and when he passed from this life to that of the Great 
Unknown, countless mourners dropped a tear to his memory and prayed that they, 
too, might be uplifted by his worthy example. His "Farewell Address," which you 
have just heard, is a masterpiece of literary effort, and it seems that my task this 
evening is like unto "painting the lily," or "attempting to refine pure gold," but 
there are a few things which I will call your attention to in General Washington as 
a Mason which have not been touched upon. 

The universal brotherhood of man is directly taught and illustrated upon the 
floor of every Lodge of Masons throughout the world, and early imbibing the grand 
idea so taught, George Washington, although the owner of 124 slaves, became con- 
vinced that slaves were human, and as humans must be brothers under and by 
virtue of God's law; and hence, by logical reasoning, he became one of the first 
Abolitionists in America. The natural grandeur of his character would not endure 
that foul blot upon our escutcheon of freedom, a relic of the benighted ages, when 
Masonry alone kept alive the theory which he was trying to follow out. In 1786 he 
formed and wrote a resolution, never, unless compelled by particular circumstances, 
to possess another slave by purchase, and that particular circumstance was to 
prevent the severing of families. In writing to Governeur Morris on the subject at 
the time, he says: 

"There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan 
adopted for the abolition of slavery under legislative authority; as far as my suffrage 
will go. it will never be wanting." 



i6o JLbc TaHasblnoton fIDasonic 

This expression shows to any disinterested observer the strong hold the teach- 
ings of Masonry had upon him, and his duty as a good Mason to help uplift the 
men he recognized as brothers under God's law. 

When the time came for a rupture with the mother country, he deeply depre- 
cated and deplored the occasion, and his habitual respect for lawful authority incul- 
cated by his Masonic oath and teachings, made it a hard measure for him to cast 
his lot with the Colonies; but an utter disregard of the rights of the citizens of 
this continent, an oppressive tax to sustain an expensive and dissolute court, with 
no opportunity to be heard, and no representation as to the making of laws, caused 
him, after a careful and God-fearing study of the situation, to ally himself with, and 
become the central figure in, that band of patriots who made America a land of 
freedom, a country of its own, and acknowledging allegiance to none. This revolu- 
tion, which added a new and brilliant star to the galaxy of nations, and separated 
the United States from the monarchy of England, also was so far-reaching in its 
effect that it exonerated the American Masonic Lodges from their old allegiance to 
any and all foreign Grand Lodges. For why? Because the principles of Masonry 
teach and obligate us to an obedience to the laws of the government under which 
we live. Then, after the war, and when white-winged peace had spread her snowy 
pinions above us, the Masons, as though approaching an altar erected to God, re- 
sorted to the proper and necessary means of forming and establishing independent 
Grand Lodges for the government of the fraternity in their respective jurisdictions; 
and since which time the United States of America, as a Masonic power, and the 
United States of America, as a nation, stands before the wondering eyes of the 
world pre-eminent among them, inferior to none, and with her starry flag respected 
by all. 



DENVER. 

Circular to Brethren. 

Denver, Colo., November 24, 1899. 

At tlie Animal Grand Conmnniication of the Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge of Colorado, A. F. and A. il., held on the 19th of September, 1899, 
the Committee on the Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises made 
report, which included a general order of exercises for the use of the Subor- 



Centennial flDemoutal i6i 



dinate Lodges of this Jurisdiction, on their local observance of the occasion. 
The report expressed the opinion that local exercises by Masonic Lodges 
throughout the country would be of at least equal effect as the national 
exercises at Mount Vernon in attracting the attention of the present gener- 
ation to the virtues, patriotism and Masonic and public services of Wash- 
ington and his compeers. 

Pursuant to the above action of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, a 
joint meeting of all the Lodges of Denver has been arranged to be held at 
the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church Thursday evening, December 14, 
1899, and the following programme has been provided for that occasion: 

Reading of the Account of Washington's Last Illness, from the Diary of 
His Secretary, by Brother Peter L. Palmer. 

Reading of a Personal Letter to the Lodges of Colorado from the Worship- 
ful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, of which Washington 
Was the First Master under Its Virginia Charter, which Letter In- 
cludes an Account of Washington's Masonic Life, by Brother George P. 
Dunklee. 

An Address upon the Early Influence of Masonry on the Development of 
the America Idea of Equality of Men, as Expressed in the Declaration 
of Independence, and its Culmination in the Independence of the 
American Colonies, by Brother Aaron Gove. 

An Address on the Personal Character and Public Services of Washington, 
by Brother Frederick A. Williams. 

The Reading of Portions of Washington's Farewell Address, by Brother 
Robert W. Bonynge. 

The above programme will be interspersed with appropriate music to 
be furnished by the Apollo Club. 

Tickets to the exercises will be furnished by the secretary of your 
Lodge to all members and their families desiring to attend, but as the Com- 
mittee in charge wishes to know in advance the muuber of Masons who de- 
sire to attend, it is earnestly requested that you immediately notify your 



1 62 ^bc Masbinflton flDaeonlc 

secretary whether you desire to attend, and if so, how many tickets you will 

require. The seating capacity will probably not permit of extending the 

invitation to any but Masons and their families. 

Fraternally yours, 

Frank L. Bishop, 

Chairnuiu of flie Conimittcc <ni Arrangements. 



To All Past Masters of This and Other Jurisdictions: 

It has been deemed advisable by the Committee on the Washington 
Centennial Memorial Exercises to open a Lodge and march in procession to 
Trinity Church, but on account of the large city membership it has been 
found impossible. 

The committee has decided to nHjuest ail Past Masters of this and 
otlier Jurisdictions to meet with the Masters and Wardens of the city 
Lodges at 7:1.") p. m., sharp, at the ]\Iasonie Teiii])l(', where those present 
will l>o formed in procession and march to the eluireli as Denver Lodge 
No. 5. It is estimated that tliere are one hundriMl Past Masters in the 
city, and in <irdcr to make a good impression we need just that many. 
Seats will be reserved for one hundred. Make applications for tickets for 
your family to the secretary of your Lodge. 

In case you are not affiliated witli one of the Lodges in the Jurisdic- 
tion, make your application to me. Notify me at once if you will meet 

with us. 

Fraternally yours, 

Frank L. Bishop, 
Chairman Conmiittce on Arrangements. 



Centennial flDeniorlal 163 

Teinity Methodist Episcopal Church, 
Denver, Colo., December 14, A. L. 5S99. 

At the Annual Grand Communication of the Most Worshipful Grand 
Lodge of Colorado, A. F. and A. M., held the 19th of September, 1S99, 
tlie Committee on the Washington Centennial Memorial Exercises made 
report, which included a general order of exercises for the use of the 'Sub- 
ordinate Lodges of the Jurisdiction, on their local observance of the occa- 
sion. The report expressed the opinion that local exercises by Masonic 
Lodges throughout the country would be of at least equal effect as the na- 
tional exercises at Mount Vernon in attracting the attention of the present 
generation to the virtues, patriotism and Masonic and public services of 
Washington and his compeers. 

Pursuant to the above action of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge, 
the following named Lodges ari'anged this programme: 

Denver Lodge No. 5. 

Union Lodge No. Y. 

Schiller Lodge No. 41. 

Harmony Lodge No. 61. 

Temple Lodge No. 84. 

Highlands Lodge No. 86. 

Oriental Lodge No. 87. 

Eob Morris Lodge No. 92. 

South Denver Lodge No. 9.3. 

PROGRAM. 

Organ _ Prof. Henry Houseley 

Invocation Brother Thomas A. XJzzell 

"Sanctus" Apollo Club 

Reading of the Account of Washington's Last Illness, from the Diary of 

His Secretary Brother Peter L. Palmer 



1 64 ^bc Masbinoton fIDasonic 

Reading of a Personal Letter to the Lodges of Colorado, from the Wor- 
shipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, cf which Wash- 
ington Was the First MaSler under its Virginia Charter, which Let- 
ter Includes an Account of Washington's Masonic Life 

Brother George F. Dunklee 

"Martyrs of the Arena" Apollo Club 

An Address upon the Early Influence of Masonry on the Development 
of the American Idea of Equality of Men, as Expressed in the Dec- 
laration of Independence, and Its Culmination in the Independence 

of the American Colonies Brother Aaron Gove 

"Finland Love Song" Apollo Club 

An Address on the Personal Character and Public Services of Wash- 
ington Brother Frederick A. Williams 

"The Star Spangled Banner" Apollo Club 

The Reading of Portions of Washington's Farewell Address 

Brother Robert W. Bonynge 

"America" Apollo Club 

Organ Prof. Henry Houseley 

(The audience is requested to join in singing "America.") 

The above ceremony was carried OTit in full by the Denver fraternity 
under tlie auspices of Denver Lodge No. 5, A. F. and A. M. 

J. C. JoHNSTON^, 

Secretary. 



ADDRESS OP BROTHER AARON GOVE. 

Subject — "The Early Influences of Masonry on the Development of the 
American Idea of the Equality of Men. as Expressed in the Declaration 
of Independence, and Its Culmination in the Freedom of the Colonies." 

Mother Nature is, and has been from the beginning, the great teacher of man. 
In advancement, all science, whether physical or mental, seeks for Nature's metli- 
ods. Severe and kind, this mother has pursued her even and constant march from 
the foundation of the universe, and to her has man looked for example in thought 
and conduct. 

One great lesson learned from her is that of the power and value of patience. 
All her momentous achievements have been accomplished, and are accomplishing, 



Centennial flDemorial 165 

without intimation of violence or confusion. The earthqualve and the whirlwind are 
with us, not in obedience to, but in violation of, law, as their primal cause. 

In the still night men gaze upon the lieavens with its millions of matter 
masses, moving at an almost incredible rate, noiselessly. The forest gains size, 
strength and power little by little, day by day, and no man has seen it grow. The 
farmer looks in the morning upon his acres of growing corn so much taller, thicker 
and broader than he saw it yesterday, but no eye saw it take upon itself such mag- 
nificent proportions. 

The inhabitants of our planet — ourselves, live in comfort and satisfaction, 
scarcely thinking that quietly, but surely, we are traveling through space at the 
incomprehensible speed of twenty-five miles a second. And all these results ac- 
complished in silence and secrecy. 

In the animal creation, as Nature made them, unwarped by the training of 
men. Nature's silence seems to obtain. Only pleasure or pain, joy or sorrow — for 
anger is the output of pain — draws from the beasts of the forest and plain, notes of 
voice. Even the domesticated ox and horse, so near and dear to man, refrain from 
giving expression to their contemplations or intentions except in extraordinary cir- 
cumstances. The burdens are borne and services are rendered in sweet, silent, 
patient methods, contributing to the beauty and glory of their environment solely 
by the inspiration of the gentle, expressive eye. 

For the human mind has been reserved the articulate speech; man only, by 
the vocal organs, is permitted to give to his fellows the product of head and heart. 
Pleasure and joy inexpressible, pain and anguish incomparable, are given and in- 
flicted. So true is this, and so great the power, that one may well contemplate 
relatively the joy and pain of the world bestowed through the instrumentality of the 
human tongue, and sometimes the sorrow side of the balance appears to be the 
heavier. 

It is certain that much, very much, of the sadness, misery and heartache of the 
world lies directly at the door of too much talk. The greatest achievements of the 
universe accomplished in silence are represented by the greatest human achieve- 
ments. Silent men make up the large class of the world's heroes and saviors. It 
is not true that "still waters run deep," but it is so nearly true as to be worth 
quoting. If the owl is not as wise as he looks, his silence is no hindrance to his 
success as an owl. The garrulous hinder themselves, and contribute to the defeat 
of undertakings. 

Next to the greatest of human virtues, that of never deserting a friend, stands 
the other virtue of silence, except when the purpose requires speech. In the three 
great professions, when the lawyer obtains the important and necessary facts of his 
client's case, silence is the invulnerable shield. When the physician, compelled to 



1 66 ^be Wlasbtiiflton fIDasonic 

know the most intimate and secret family relations, ceases to be silent, his pro- 
fession condemns and ostracizes him. When the pastor and priest, confidants of 
the most holy thoughts as well as wicked actions of their charges, forget to bridle 
their tongues, the sacred work becomes a devilish activity, carrying with it harm 
and despair. 

George Washington, the centennial anniversary of whose death we to-day 
commemorate, was one of the silent men; ugly in feature, unattractive in voice, but 
with such a physical personal presence, and such a noble character, as to mark a 
page in the history of the world never excelled in virtue and integrity. In social 
circles, especially as a host at the dinner table, his powers of conversation were 
marked, and so he contributed to the pleasure and happiness of his guests, without 
whom, especially in his later years, he seldom dined. He seems to have observed 
all propriety with regard to subjects of conversation, and never to have allowed his 
plans, anticipations and Intentions to be announced until the time of their execution 
had arrived. 

The effect of the power of silence is no interference with agreeable associa- 
tion; even Nature, in its silent methods, sends us the music of the murmuring 
brook; of the wind through the pine forest; and the rustling of the corn blade; and 
so the part taken in the social world by the silent man does not preclude beautiful 
expressions of heart and head. 

Washington withheld his opinion on important issues except where decision 
was necessary; one reads that when Mrs. Custls, Mrs. Washington's daughter-in- 
law, asked for his advice as to her proposed marriage engagement, Washington 
replied : 

"A woman very rarely wishes an opinion or requires advice on such an occasion 
until the resolution is formed, and then it is with tlie hope and expectation of obtaining 
a sanction, and not that she means to be governed by your disapprobation, that she 
applies." 

In a word, the plain English of the application may be summed up in these 

words: 

I wish you to think as I do, but if, unhappily, you differ from me in opinion, my 
heart, I must confess, is fixed, and I have gone too far to retract." 

This illustration of Washington's prudence but portrays the heart of woman to 
have been a hundred years ago much as it is to-day. 

His anger was intense and violent; his silence was characteristic of power; 
and his passions, in another man less strong, would have wrecked the individual. 

One of his rules of life he gave to his staff officer: "I never judge the pro- 
priety of actions by after events." 



Centennial fIDemorial 167 



He lived and worked during that part of our history when the nation was 
forming and the government making; what part he took is public history, so far as 
official acts are concerned ; what he had to do with affairs as influenced by Free- 
masonry, will never be written. Washington would have been a Freemason in all 
but name had he never been placed in the northeast corner of the Lodge. The 
tenets of Freemasonry were the tenets of his life; the teachings of the brotherhood 
his daily practice; especially these three emphatic lessons, taught by the ritual, 
viz: "To keep a tongue of good report; maintain secrecy, and practice charity." 

The Craft have learned that the last of these — to practice charity— stands well 
to the top of the lessons inculcated, but the fathers placed next to that, "to main- 
tain secrecy." These two virtues are so closely related and interwoven as to be 
inseparable; one cannot practice charity except he maintain secrecy, unless he 
withholds blame of those who in opinion differ from him, and refrains from con- 
demnation by tongue, of acts and words not in accord with his own opinions. 

But the greatest effect, after all, of Freemasonry in Colonial times, must have 
come from that important teaching of democracy, technically expressed, "to meet 
upon the level." Perhaps in no other institution in the world, at that age, was 
democracy, the equality of men, so aptly taught and inculcated as within the body 
of Freemasons. Elevated from the lowest to the highest position amongst fellows, 
with power and authority almost unlimited, then to step down from that position 
and take a place in the ranlis in common with the throng, was a teaching and a 
practice that had an effect on the organization of our free national government. 
"To meet upon the level;" to stand upon the same plane; to regard each man not 
for worldly wealth or honor, but for his personal value, and to trust him because of 
confidence in his integrity, is one of the foundation planks of the Declaration of 
Independence. Men in our national life have occupied alternately eminent and 
humble positions; a President of the United States has followed his term of exalted 
office by a term as Congressman in the lower House; and later, a President of the 
United States has retired to private life and re-entered his law office and resumed 
practice in common and alongside of the people from whom he came. These are 
illustrations of the principles of Freemasonry, as embodied in the formation of our 
government. 

Only members of the Craft can fully appreciate the jealousy dominant in the 
hearts of men, as taught in the ritual, with regard to personal and equal rights. At 
the meetings of the fraternity, craftsmen know well of the lectures read and the 
rituals enacted, all teaching and emphasizing this great cardinal principle of the 
equality of men; and when one remembers that in isolated and tiled rooms along 
the Eastern coast, week after week, were gathered groups of men; that in that little 
room at Alexandria the great man whose career we celebrate, as well as in Massa- 



1 68 (Tbe THUasbinoton HDasonic 

chusetts and South Carolina, teachings were constant; the conviction is deep that 
the impressions carried from the Lodge room silently to the home, the shop, the 
market place and the convention, were a factor in the framing of the policy that 
culminated in the Declaration of Independence. The influence of Freemasonry 
must have been great; it was great, and the more peaceful because so silent. 

I have not learned of the extent of Freemasonry or the number of Masonic 
Lodges during Colonial days. I am fairly familiar with the teachings of the Craft; 
in common with the brethren I am sure of the effect and influence of the lectures, 
the obligations and tenets of the Order in the direction of all that the declaration 
implies: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, 
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among 
these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," is but an adaptation of one of 
the Masonic lectures delivered within the tiled Lodge. 

Jefferson wrote it, Adams amended, when Franklin completed the draft which 
was originally presented. Virginia and Massachusetts, peopled with men widely 
apart in ancestry, breeding and social life, in marked contrast one with the other, 
and Franklin, with Puritan ancestry and Quaker training, the fortunately-appointed 
arbitrator on the committee to adjust differences. 

In one direction only, and in complete accordance, was the Puritan and the 
Cavalier — love of country — patriotism. Washington and Adams in the nature ot 
things, could never have been warm social friends nor mutual personal admirers, 
but the great cause of liberty and democracy inspired and animated them to joint 
action. 

The Virginia gentleman and the Massachusetts commoner laid aside all senti- 
ment save the promotion of the principles of the declaration. The silent, powerful 
influence of the Masonic Craft, unconsciously, perhaps, was a force that fluxed the 
stern, hard, discordant elements resulting in the solid, cohesive mass that stands 
to-day, impregnable as it was formed in 1776, expressive of eternal truth, the instru- 
ment of accomplished democracy, and declaration of the equality of man; a reitera- 
tion of thS oft-heard words from the Master: "Masonry regards no man for his 
personal wealth or honor." 

The closing century looks upon a generation of people, the legitimate children 
of the Colonial fathers. Doubts have arisen and been dispelled; storms have come 
and gone; the terrors of war have been about us, but we assemble to-night in mem- 
ory of the eminent man and Mason, who, with his associates, accomplished the 
birth of the American Republic, and send to them across the unknown gulf, and to 
our God, without whose assistance and blessing, nothing would have been accom- 
plished, the devout thanks of a happy and prosperous, united nation. 



Centennial flDemorial 169 

Evidence of the truth that Masonry largely influenced the spirit that uttered 
the Declaration of Independence can be conclusive only to members of the Craft. 
With the brethren doubts cannot exist. 

A complete abiding by the fellowcraft's lecture, "we learn to act upon the 
square, keep a tongue of good report, maintain secrecy and practice charity," will 
lead us in the future, as it has caused us in the past, to be one helpful factor in 
holding to the faith proclaimed by Jefferson, Adams and Franklin, and approved 
and adopted by their fraters, whose signatures are still read on that instrument. 



ADDRESS BY F. A. WILLIAMS. 

But a few days ago Union Lodge No. 7 of this city assembled for the purpose 
of conferring Masonic burial on the first Master of that Lodge, one of the fore- 
most citizens of the city and State. A Lodge was opened, and brothers' hands bore 
the remains to their last resting place. The plaintive requiem of the Masonic fra- 
ternity was sung, three times the brothers circled about the open grave, hands were 
lifted as we said: "The spirit of our brother hath ascended on high, his memory 
we cherish in our hearts, his body we consign to the earth," the sprig of acacia was 
deposited in the open grave, last of all, the lambskin, and the earthly career of the 
distinguished man and citizen was over. 

One hundred years ago this night, and this hour, another distinguished man 
and Mason was near his end. He was as self-composed in the last hour as in any 
incident of his life. He felt his own pulse, said to his physician, "I am dying, sir, 
but am not afraid to die." To his wife, "Bring me the two papers in my desk. 
This is my will; preserve this, and destroy the other." To a friend, "I am going 
now. See that I have a decent burial, and that my body is kept for three days be- 
fore being deposited in the vault." The faithful wife said, "Is he gone?" and the 
physician raised his hand, indicating that all was over. 

Then, as now, a Lodge of Masons was opened. Then, as now, brothers' 
hands bore the remains tenderly to their last resting place. The requiem was 
sung, hands were lifted to the skies, the acacia was deposited, last of all the lamb- 
skin, and the most distinguished man of his time thus received Masonic burial. 

This ancient ceremony, the most simple and impressive in our Masonic ritual, 
unites us at once to the past and the future, and keeps ever before us the lesson of 
mortality as an incentive to right living. This is the truth that is brought home to 
us at each step of life: we are passing away. It is a note that never ceases. What- 
ever the mood in nature, and whatever our surroundings, its low monotone may be 



lyo Cbc Masbinoton fIDasonic 

heard. It is the sound of the wind among the forests, the sob of the wave upon the 
seashore; and by this sign and ceremony the departure of Washington is as real 
to us to-day as if it had occurred but yesterday. 

In all ages and lands our venerable Order has claimed as its own the most 
useful and eminent men in every walk of life. The qualities which made them 
conspicuous, the traits of character which in public or private life made them use- 
ful and endeared them to friends, are the qualities and traits by which our Order 
will at all times be judged. While to young or old an abstract principle or rule of 
living can alone furnish but a feeble guide for human conduct, still an example in 
the concrete, a living, breathing example of sterling worth and merit, is to all a 
personal inspiration. 

We meet to-night to celebrate the virtues of one whose character is an inspira- 
tion to all. It needed no national organization of the Masonic fraternity to call us 
together. A recommendation from the Grand Lodge of Colorado was sufiScient; 
and as if by common impulse the members of the Order, from the coast which our 
first general defended to a coast whose border line as the western boundary of our 
great Republic he may, perhaps, have faintly imagined, but could never have fully 
conceived, have met in city and hamlet to honor the man, who, as citizen, soldier 
and statesman, has furnished the theme for more earnest study and reflection than 
any other man our country has produced. 

While the principal observances are being held in the capitol of the nation, in 
every community from ocean to ocean, where a Masonic Lodge exists, the occasion 
is respected and observed. If ever the Masonic family was one in thought, purpose 
and feeling, it is at the present moment, while thousands are contemplating the 
character and public services of a good man and Mason. 

What is Washington to us? What is there in his life of special significance to 
us as Masons? 

Time was. in the history of our land, when membership in this Order, now so 
vast, but then so limited, was to many the subject of reproach. Good, sincere and 
devout men believed it to be a device of the devil; while others were convinced 
that obligations assumed by Masons were naught but foolish, reckless and wicked 
oaths, that secrecy was proof positive of guilty purposes, and that membership in 
the Order was an effective shield for crime. 

The answer to such charges, when any answer was necessary, was found in 
the character of the men. good and true, who, without entering into argument, 
retained their active membership in the institution; and from the days of the first 
President to the present time, no cause has been more potent to attract men to its 
shelter then the moral and social standing of a large majority of its members. 
Washington was a Mason at heart before ever he was a Mason in form, but once a 



Centennial HDemorial 171 

Mason he remained such to the end. And while as a soldier we admire, and as a 
statesman we revere, him, we may be pardoned if to-night, in common with the 
multitudes of others who are bound to us by three-fold ties, we claim him as a 
brother. 

It should have been a sufficient answer at any time to the calumnies of our 
enemies to say that such men as George Washington were Masons. His name has 
added, I will not say respectability, but character to the society; and, on the other 
hand, it is sure that the ceremonies of his initiation, passing, and raising, sank 
deeply into his susceptible and thoughtful nature, and aided him materially in the 
struggle for self mastery. 

To understand a man living at any time we must understand his surround- 
ings. It is the popular belief that a man is necessarily the creature of his sur- 
roundings, that environment makes all of character, and that it is well nigh useless 
for one to endeavor to resist or rise above the conditions that exist, and that seem 
to control his life. But this view leaves out of the reckoning the power of human 
will and the strength of human affections and passions. Dr. Jeffrey said a few 
years ago to the Y. M. C. A. of this city, that any young man is successful who rises 
somewhat, even though but a little, above the average of his associates; and in 
every-day life, as in national movements, it is certainly true that many men, by 
their strong force of character, have had much to do with the shaping of human and 
national events. It is fair to say that, given sufiicient strength of purpose and suf- 
ficient intelligence and means, men may as well carve their destinies as to submit 
to destiny; though in most cases the policy of men is a policy of drift. 

What is it that has endeared Washington to the people of this land, and all 
lands? Was it success only? We read with pleasure the tales of his early life 
and training; his entry upon public life; his military failures and successes; his 
distinguished services as a statesman; and his di.gnifled retirement to the peaceful 
occupation of a wealthy Virginia farmer. His place in human history is forever 
assured. Proud we are that he was an American, that his sword brought national 
liberty and independence, and that his wise counsels contributed to the formation 
of a government which we fondly think is the best on earth. But when all is said 
we find most delight in regarding him as a great and good man, one who by birth 
and early training was prepared for great events, and who unconsciously moved 
forward by the force of his own greatness, his mastery of facts, his knowledge of 
conditions, and his preconception of what was necessary and inevitable, to the 
foremost place in American history, and in every place and in every condition dis- 
played the same noble qualities of mind and heart, and the same masterful intellect 
that distinguished him as well in private life. It is the man Washington that lives 
in the hearts of the American people. 



172 Z\K IKHasbinoton fIDasontc 

He was no paragon of virtue. Like tlie rest of us, he had his imperfections. 
The perfect ashlar, squared, dressed and finished, is typical only. Washington's 
physical equipment was simply magnificent. Six feet two inches in stature, weigh- 
ing two hundred and twenty pounds in his prime, with long and powerful arms, 
hands that were simply huge, feet that required number thirteen boots, a figure 
straight as an arrow, fond of the chase, familiar with all manner of out-door exer- 
cises, accustomed to frontier life and exposure, the strongest man in his army, he 
possessed the first requisite for long and arduous labor in the cause of his country. 

He was no Puritan in his mode of living; though strictly temperate and self- 
restrained; liberal in his views on all public questions, he conceded to every man 
the right of private opinion. He could never have shares in the narrowness of 
many of the New England settlers, of whom it is said, that early in their political 
growth they passed two resolutions: "First. The world should be governed by the 
saints. Second. We are the saints." 

It is said that his clear, strong countenance, his light gray eyes, set widely 
apart, his massive chin, his firmly set chin, and the wrinkles betv.-een his eyes, in- 
variably gave the beholder the impression of the most perfect self-control. Strong 
passions were held in check by a stronger will, and though at times, under the most 
exasperating provocations, his temper went beyond bounds, reason soon and surely 
asserted itself, and all was calm again. 

The lofty spirit of the man is seen in his letter to Governor Sharp, who, having 
a commission from the king, and desirous of securing the services of Washington, 
recognized as the best fighting man in Virginia, offered him a company. In answer 
Washington said, "You make mention in your letter of my continuing in the 
service and retaining my colonel's commission. This has filled me with surprise, 
for if you think me capable of holding a commission that has neither rank ncr 
emolument annexed to it, you must entertain a very contemptible opinion of my 
weakness, and believe me to be more empty than the commission itself. In short, 
every captain bearing the king's commission, every half-pay officer, or others ap- 
pearing with such a commission, would rank before me * • * yet, my inclina- 
tions are strongly bent to arms." Of this incident Mr. Lodge says, "It was a bitter 
disappointment to withdraw from military life, but Washington had an intense 
sense of personal dignity; not the small vanity of a petty mind, but the quality of a 
proud man, conscious of his own strength and purpose, and it was of immense value 
to the American people at a later day." 

Although no martinet, he was a strict disciplinarian, and sometimes lost his 
temper because of the failure of his subordinates to execute orders. On one occa- 
sion a messenger being dispatched to obtain information, returned, saying he was 
unable to cross the river because of a storm and the floating ice. Washington, 



(Tentennial nocmorial 173 

then in his tent, seized an ink-stand, and, throwing it at the messenger, shouted, 
"Begone, sir, and send me a man." The messenger departed and performed his 
errand. 

Later, on one occasion while dining, the President received dispatches which 
were to be delivered only to the Commander-in-Chief, and which announced that 
the Army of St. Clair had been surprised by the Indians and cut to pieces. Later in 
the evening, when all were gone but Colonel Lear and General Washington, he broke 
out suddenly with: 

"It's all over — St. Clair's defeated; the officers nearly all killed, the rout complete, 
and a surprise in the bargain. Yes," he said, walking to and fro, witli great agitation, 
"Here on this very spot, 1 took leave of him; I wislied him success and honor. 'You have 
your instructions,' I said, 'from the Secretary of War; I had a strict eye to them and 
will add but one word — beware of a surprise. I repeat it, beware of a surprise — you 
know how the Indians fight us.' He went off with that as my last solemn warning 
thrown into his ears. And yet, to suffer that army to be cut to pieces, hacked by a 
surprise — the very thing I guarded him against! O God, O God. he's worse than a 
murderer! How can he answer it to his country? The blood of the slain is upon him 
— the curse of widows and orphans — the curse of Heaven!" 

"This torrent came out in tone appalling. His very frame shook. It was awful," 
said Mr. Lear. "More than once he threw his hands up as he hurled imprecations upon 
St. Clair." Mr. Lear remained speechless; awed into breathless silence. 

The roused chief sat down on the sofa once more. He seemed conscious of his 
passion, and uncomfortable. He was silent. His wrath began to subside; he at length 
said in an altered voice, "This must not go beyond this room." Another pause fol- 
lowed — a longer one — when he said, in a tone quite low, "General St. Clair shall have 
justice. I looked hastily through the dispatches, saw the whole disaster, but not all 
the particulars; I will hear him without prejudice; he shall have full justice." 

"He was now," said Mr. Lear, "perfectly calm. Half an hour had gone by. The 
storm was over, and no sign of it was afterwards seen in his conduct, or heard in his 
conversation. The result is known. The whole case was investigated by Congress. 
St. Clair was exculpacea and regained the confidence Washington had in him when ap- 
pointing him to that command." 

Of the personal courage of Washington, everybody knows. To a major, who 
had exhibited cowardice at Great Meadows, and who had complained at not receiv- 
ing what he considered his share of public lands, Washington wrote as follows: 

"Your impertinent letter was delivered to me yesterday. As I am not accus- 
tomed to receiving such from any man. nor would I have taken the same language 
from you personally without letting you feel some marks of my resentment, I would 
advise you to be cautious in writing a second of the same tenor. • » * All my con- 
cern is that I ever engaged in behalf of so ungrateful a fellow." 

Being taken ill on the march to Fort Du Quesne, he made Orme promise that 
he should be brought up before the army reached that place, and wrote to his 
friend that he would not miss the impending battle for five hundred pounds. Ar- 
riving at the front, the battle was soon commenced. A disaster it proved for the 
British. Of this event it is said: 



174 ^l?c Masbington flDasonlc 

"Washington at the outset flung himself headlong into the fight. He rode up 
and down the field, carrying orders and striving to rally 'the dastards,' as he afterwards 
called the regular troops. He endeavored to bring up the artillery, but the men would 
not serve the guns, although he aimed and discharged one himself. All through that 
dreadful carnage he rode fiercely about, raging with the excitement of battle, and ut- 
terly exposed from beginning to end. Even now it makes the heart beat quicker to 
think of him amid the smoke and slaughter as he dashed hither and thither, his face 
glowing and his eyes shining with the fierce light of battle, leading on Ills own Vir- 
ginians, and trying to stay the tide of disaster." 

It must be confessed that some of his military movements were ill planned, 
and that serious mistakes were made, but Washington was a man who would learn 
and did learn by defeat, and the story of his life in public and private affairs is the 
story of the growth and development of a strong, capable, self-reliant, and con- 
scientious man and soldier. 

We cite these instances merely to show that he was not perfect. To many 
he has been pictured as an ideal, incapable of doing wrong. Such characters are 
impossible and insipid. The man Washington is dearer to us because of his im- 
perfections, and because by the aid of the monitor within, his amazing grasp of 
existing situations, and his Ivnowledge of men, he overcame difficulties within and 
without. 

Grateful as the American people are for his distinguished public services, that 
for which he is loved and most revered by the common folk, is that he brought to 
the public service the best qualities of mind and heart that distinguished him as an 
individual. Because he was a man of growth and development, simple in his 
tastes, refined in manners, imperious in command, comprehensive and far-reaching 
in his judgment, and fearless in the discharge of duty. He endeavored to square 
his life in public and in private with the rule of justice to all men, and with the 
compass he swept a circle beyond which impulse and passion were not permitted 
to go. 

No one imputed selfishness to Washington. Every call to the public service 
found him reluctant, but obedient. Each time he returned from service in the 
British army, from the houses of burgesses of the native colony, from the command 
of the American army, from the presidency of the constitutional convention, and 
from the presidency of the Republic, to private life at Mount Vernon, grateful for 
the privilege, earnest in the hope of being able to lead a private life, and devoting 
his energies to the improvement of his property and the betterment of agricultural 
conditions in his community. 

Time would fail to tell the dangers which beset the ship of state in his time. 
But who shall say that equal dangers are not at hand at the present day? To what 
excesses and dangers may the acquisition of foreign territory by this isolated 



Centennial flDeinortal 17? 

though powerful Republic, finally lead? And where shall the path upon which we 
have now entered finally lead? 

Who will say that justice is not boldly subverted at the present time, when 
the burden ot expense in maintaining the government, state, national and municipal. 
Is cast upon one-half the property of the country, and the other half, that existing 
in the form of chatels and money, almost wholly escapes taxation? 

Who will say that our government is sufficiently strong, when a difficulty be- 
tween employers and employes in a single city can embarrass and nearly paralyze 
the commerce of the entire country? 

Who can say that the well being of the people is sufficiently protected, when 
combinations of capital are able to increase or diminish the supply of food, and reg- 
ulate the price of all the necessaries of life? 

Who will not say that we have not already too much freedom, when the 
voice of the vagrant and the criminal counts for as much as the vote of the man 
who works and observes the holy requirements of law? And when the public funds 
are distributed by men who contribute nothing to the public funds, and who have 
no interest as householders or taxpayers in the maintenance of a safe, economical 
or just government? 

The ship of state is not beyond the shoals. New questions and new dangers 
confront us daily. Is it any wonder that, foreseeing such a condition, the prophetic 
words of Alexander Hamilton were uttered? Taking up a book that lay on the 
table, he observed: 

"Ah, this Is the Constitution. Now mark my words. So long as we are a young 
and virtuous people, this instrument will bind us togetlier in mutual interests, mutual 
welfare, and mutual happiness; but when we become old and corrupt, it will bind us 
no longer." 

Lord Byron, meditating upon the ruins of ancient Rome, wrote thus: 

"There lies the moral of all human tales. 

'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past; 
First freedom, and then glory; when that fails. 

Wealth, vice, corruption — barbarism at last. 

And history, with all her volumes vast. 
Hath but one page, and that is written here." 

There is but one safeguard against the disintegration of this noble Republic. 
Justice will be perpetuated and the Union maintained just so long as the majority 
of the people of this country are governed by motives, and their representatives 
and rulers are actuated by principles of truth, personal integrity and sterling honor. 

It is the moral quality that made Washington a man of the people, and the 
moral quality alone in public affairs and private life can preserve the nation's ex- 
istence. 



176 ^be MasblUQton fiDasonic 

A few months ago the Lord Chief Justice of England, Justice Coleridge, was a 
distinguished guest at Washington and New York. His first business was not the 
study of our wonderful material growth and progress, and his first pleasure was, 
not the sight of the granaries of the West, nor the grandeur of our eternal moun- 
tains. With reverent steps he turned his feet to Mount Vernon, where rest the 
remains of one whose fame is as well assured in foreign lands as in our own; and 
his visit to that sacred spot, the shrine of every true lover of liberty, was a pil- 
grimage creditable to him as an Englishman, and to every man in whose mind 
human character and personal worth are above every other possession. 

To-night we are all pilgrims to the same sacred spot, and though we cannot 
participate in the principal exercises that are being conducted in memory of Wash- 
ington, the soldier, Washington, the statesman, and Washington, the man and citi- 
zen, still, with the same elevated feeling of veneration for the most distinguished 
man of our land and time, we accord "honor, eternal honor, to his name." 



DURANGO. 

Hall of DuRA^'GO Lodge ISTo. 46, A. F. and A. M., 

DuRANGO, Colo., December 15, 1899. 

Ed. C. Pakjielee, Grand Secretary: 

Dear Sir and Brother — I beg to submit tlie following rejxtrt of the pro- 
ceedings of this Lodge on the event of the Washington Memorial Exercises 
held on December l-t, 1899: 

The Lodge met in Special Communication at its hall and was opened on 
the tliird degree ; thence it proceeded tinder escort of the G. A. E. Scdg\vick 
Post No. 12, of Durango, Colo., to tlie Presbj'terian Chnrch, where tlie en- 
closed programme was carried out, with the exception that Brotlier Bnrwell 
being absent, his part was omitted and the 2>lace supplied by the reading of 
a short account of Washington's life by Brother Chadsey. The Lodge then 
returned to tlie hall and closed in due form. 

Fraternally yours, 

Clememt L. Russell, 

Secretarv. 



I 



Centennial flDcmoinal 177 

PROGRAM. 

1799-1899. 
Diirango Lodge No. 46, A. F'. and A. M., Durango, Colorado. 

Music — (a) The Heavens Are Telling Hesperian 

(b) Our Washington Chorus 

Invocation Rev. L. R. Smith 

Address — Washington and Masonry Worshipful Master C. A. Pike 

Annie Laurie (Dudley Buck) Male Quartette 

Letter from the Master of Alexandria- Washington Lodge, Virginia 

Past Grand Master J. C. Sanford 

Selections from Washington's Farewell Address Rev. L. R. Smith 

Soldiers' Chorus (Gounod) Double Quartette 

Washington's Last Illness, Written by His Private Secretary. .Blair Burwell 

Old Kentucky Home Ladies' Quartette 

Washington as a Citizen N. C. Miller 

America Audience 



ADDRESS BY BROTHER N. C. MILLER. 
Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren: 

It is fitting that an Order, enriched with so bright a jewel In its diadem, as the 
illustrious Washington, should assemble in public Communication throughout the 
nation on this centennial of his death, to do reverence to his memory. 

The old Greeks and Romans were accustomed to deify their dead heroes, and 
to assign them to constellations in the heavens. Nor does this peculiarity wholly 
disappear as people become more civilized. As years recede, only the stronger 
lines of the heroes' character stand out to view, and the rate at which they grow in 
our estimation affords some measure of their greatness. It is a pleasant attribute 
of our nature to forget human shortcomings. The effect is like that of leaving 
behind us the distant mountain; only the magnificent outlines appear on the hori- 
zon. So when we view our hero of the past we see only the grand outlines of his 
character, and Ihe-manliness of his deeds, and in our love for a beautiful ideal, we 
fill in the minor parts with creations of a prejudiced fancy. The tendency of pos- 
terity to magnify the character of illustrious statesmen who are dead, carries with 
it invaluable blessings. It creates ideals which elevate citizenship, inspire leaders 
and produce in the young the most lofty conceptions of patriotism. A great nation 
must have its heroes of the past; their memories keep alive our pride and affection 
for our country. 



178 Zbc Maebinfiton flDasonic 

The simplicity, honesty and high purpose of our nation's heroes are its great- 
est treasures. Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Franlilin, Madison, Monroe, Jack- 
son, Lincoln, Grant ami General Sherman are some of the ideals of our people, and 
so long as we revere their memories and adhere to their teachings as the purest 
source of political wisdom, we are not apt to be driven into false doctrines during 
tempestuous political storms. The fault is that the worst and best vie with each 
other in the attempt to trace their theories of government to the same illustrious 
source. A great people create high ideals. We do not look for great patriots in 
China. In their flourishing period Carthage, Greece and Rome each had their 
generals and statesmen, whose appearance thrilled the people, and whose return 
from war was celebrated with pomp and splendor. Those were the days when 
honesty, simplicity and patriotism were the boasted virtues of the people. The 
same starry -decked heavens keep vigil watch over their homes now as then; air no 
less salubrious and bracing courses over their classic hills and valleys; their shores 
are washed by waves no less indulgent, and the same warm and benignant sun 
sheds its rays upon the land — but the greatness of the people is gone, and no longer 
do a liberty-loving people look to them for fresh inspiration. 

It is a happy country that can create a military hero without fear of militarism 
or revolution. How many of the countries of the world could welcome home a 
Dewey, and invite the people to unrestrained expressions of joy and admiration 
without some fear of social disturbance? Surely England; possibly Germany; are 
there more? France stationed 8,000 soldiers near by, to insure peace on the an- 
nouncement of the Dreyfus verdict. The heroes of our country have been cradled, 
educated and matured in a laud where the people are sovereign, and to whom never 
occurs the faintest notion of relinquishment, to any hero. The land of the free and 
the home of the brave is more than a capricious sentiment. It is the strongest 
national sentiment of our people, and the national air expressive of it, thrills the 
soul and awakens within us the strongest ties of country. The sturdy spirit of our 
forefathers, who were seeking individual liberty as a reaction from the intolerable 
interference of the State in church and secular affairs, has established too firmly to 
be shaken, the confidence of the people in their independence. 

The progressive couree of the world has always supplied the right man at the 
critical moment. The insatiable ambition of Napoleon met the cool, calculating 
and unflinching Wellington. It was part of the order of progress that Napoleon 
should be confronted by such a man at Waterloo. The undulating wave of progress 
was then rising; free institutions were taking a strong hold on civilization, and the 
crest of the wave had not yet risen full high. No man could overcome its force. 
It matters not what errors Napoleon might have avoided; under ordinary calcula- 
tions they were not errors. The eternal forces of justice which always finally 



Centennial flDctnortat 179 

triumph, planted Wellington at Mont St. Jean, an impassable barrier to unworthy 
ambition. The evolution of our national affairs required a Lincoln and a Grant, 
while the critical reconstruction period demanded the firmness of the latter. 

When we look at the narrow fringe of settlements whose people resisted with 
dauntless courage the attempt of George III to crowd upon the colonies his 
nations of the crown's prerogatives, we are filled with inexpressible admiration 
for the men and women of the Revolution. No task seemed too great; no trial too 
severe; unpaid, half clad, and starved, year in and year out, the descendants of 
Royalists in the South and Puritans in the North, fought, that the colonies might 
enjoy a free government. It is a false notion to picture to ourselves a serene and 
united spirit among the colonists. At times the greatest discord prevailed, threat- 
ening the very existence of the army, and the success of its cause. Men like 
Robert Morris, who expended their fortunes, and labored to arm, feed and pay the 
soldiers, are seldom counted among our great benefactors. Those were days when 
great men lived in America. If human perfection consists in each individual 
making the most out of his endowments, whether large or small, then, indeed, the 
men who were associated with Washington rose high in the scale of greatness. 
But when you consider men like Washington and Lincoln from the cradle to the 
grave, they appear enormities. Nature overleaps her accustomed yield when she 
produces them. They are part of the great plan of nature. Their brain, tempera- 
ment and character were made to give a favorable turn to a great crisis. We ad- 
mire them; we cannot understand them. Can you compare them to such men as 
Alexander or Cassar, or any of the great heroes of the world who sought to quench 
their thirst for glory in conquest? These were actuated by selfish motives, and 
the governments they instituted were almost as fleeting as their lives. Even the 
crusades, which have been called holy wars, were of a questionable spirit; for be- 
neath the sentimental ambition of rescuing the tomb of Christ from the hand of 
Moslem, there lurked the barbarous pride of arms that characterized the fantastic 
chivalry of the Middle Ages. National aggrandizement, greed of territory, hope of 
plunder, the hollow glory of conquest, the Insanity of revenge, these motives and 
such as these, have marshaled and sent forward the armies of invasion that have 
vexed the world and crowned the warriors with greatness. Nor can we picture as 
the idol of these patriots a general who was planning an empire for himself. The 
people of America were thirsting for civil and religious liberty, and a lesser man 
than Washington could not have fulfilled the destiny of this new civilization. 

If I were to talk to you of a typical American, I would not choose as my 
ideal Washington. The traits of American character now familiar to us all, were 
not then blended in aay one great man. Our people had not yet formed sentiments 
or habits free and distinct from the mother country. The gentleman of the age 



i8o Zbc MasbiuGton fiDasonic 

was in some sense an English gentleman. His ideas of living were cast in an 
English mould. His theories of government were colored by ideals borrowed from 
history, and America had no history. The principle of universal suffrage had not 
yet taken hold of the Colonial statesman, while the debates in the Constitutional 
Convention displayed honest distrust of the people as the safest foundation of free 
government. Washington's training, thought and action had not taught him to lean 
with unfaltering trust on the people. 

Lord Brougham said he was the greatest man of his own or any age. The 
most wonderful thing about Washington was his majestic and beautiful character, 
which towered matchless and unsullied in its serenity and strength above all his 
countrymen; a man of faultless judgment; endowed with a high sense of justice; 
actuated by a spirit too broad and generous to descend into factional quarrels; liv- 
ing and doing so as to impress the people that his sole ambition was to make 
America free and great; he was the one man on whom all factions would unite and 
harmonize. Soothing the factious spirit of discord, ever manifesting amidst the 
gloom or glory of war a profound reverence for the laws of peace; with the mag- 
ical charm of his placid but firm character, moulding the pioneers of America into 
a brave and loyal army; now worrying the enemy with his strategical marches, now 
harassing them by his bold sallies; fitted to meet every emergency, unnerved by no 
discouragement, General Washington, at the surrender of Yorktown, was the idol 
of the army and the oracle of the people. At the zenith of his military glory and 
power, with a patriotism unexampled, he returned to Congress his sword, in an 
address full of wisdom and patriotism; and with the respect and love of all, he 
sought the quietude of his Mount Vernon home, and the familiar scenes of his boy- 
hood. Where in all history has another general written letters to the people in 
such a spirit of paternal care and solicitude, and the people received them with 
such filial respect? When his soldiers, tempted into sedition by disappointment 
and want of appreciation on the part of their country, which was then too poor to 
fittingly honor them, offered to make him king in the West, he spurned the offer in 
an address ringing with patriotism and devotion to his country, and laden with 
tender affection for the soldiers, half clad and starved, who had clung to him with 
unfaltering courage and loyalty, amid the cold and hunger of the winter about Val- 
ley Forge. No wonder we cling to his memory to-day, with a fond admiration which 
sees no peer among the patriots of his day. His character and deeds are the glory 
of our free institutions; he is the bright star in that firmament of patriots who 
founded a new government on new principles, which are still maturing and grow- 
ing and carrying the people forward to new conceptions of national greatness. 
Undoubtedly, there have been brave, wise and good men before Washington, but I 
do not know of another Instance in history, where the hero of his people won so 



Centennial fIDcmortal i8i 

completely their affections and confidence, and at the very height of his glory and 
prestige surrendered every vestige of power and became their wisest and safest 
counselor. No sectional hatred, no dogma, no bias, no rivalry, no jealousy changed 
his purpose; he loved America and his countrymen, and they lavished upon him 
the most precious honors. Without a dissenting vote, he was made chairman of 
the convention that framed our Constitution at a time when the jealousy between 
the rival States made the delegations suspicious of the fairness of any other man, 
and after its adoption he was twice unanimously chosen President, and with a keen 
foresight for the future safety of the new nation, he established a precedent which 
even the hero of Appomattox could not transcend. 

His was a turbulent time. It was an epic period In our country's history; the 
great nations of the earth were tossing on the raging billows of the political sea, 
and out of the chaos came forth the only enduring Republic the sun ever shone on. 
The wonder is that a single nation ever was evolved out of the turmoil. When the 
storms of passion raged fiercest, and the blasts of calumny sounded loudest, with 
wise discretion and dignity unbroken, he nursed and fostered with paternal care 
the new experiment in government, and with his wise counsel and courageous de- 
meanor overcame much of the jealousy between the States. With his matchless 
letters of wisdom, he blazed the pathway for future years, and on his deathbed, 
calm and hopeful, in anxious and grateful remembrance of his country, he died, the 
bright consummate flower of our early patriots. We revere his memory to-day for 
the rich treasures of wisdom left us; for the sublime example of the pure and un- 
selfish motives actuating him in public and private life; for the grandeur and hon- 
esty of his character, which rallied all parties about him, and carried the country 
through the vexaticus and perilous period of infancy; and planted it firmly and 
permanently on the solid foundation of the Constitution. Such a man belongs to no 
one people or section; his teachings are a legacy to the world; his fame is imperish- 
able, and will go down the ages of eternity challenging admiration and growing in 
brilliancy as the love of liberty and respect for the equal rights of man sink deeper 
in the human soul. "His resting place will be the world." 



EATON. 

Eato^t, Colo., December 23, 1890. 

Ed. C. Parmelee, Grand Secretary: 

Dear Sir and Right Worshipful Brother — Acknowledging receipt of 
Dispensation, and acting upon the suggestions therein contained, Abdallah 



1 82 ^be Masbliiflton fIDasonic 

Lodge, TJ. D., made an pffort, to comply to the best of its ability. The sec- 
retaiy was ordered to procure a life size picture of General Washington, 
and have it placed in the place of meeting, properly draped with crape and 
the American colors, which was done. 

A programme was arranged and various members of the Lodge were 
assigned the respective parts. The public was invited to attend, through 
a notice published one week previous. The members of the Lodge met at 
Brother Steel's store, and marched in a body to the Congregational Church, 
where the exercises were held. The procession was led by tlie Tiler, fol- 
lowed by the brethren wearing their aprons. The Lodge occupied the plat- 
form. The following programme was then rendered : 

Invocation Rev. Carson 

"My Country 'Tis of Thee" The entire congregation 

Solo Miss Smith 

Reading — "The Last Illness of Washington" Brother W. L. Petrikin 

Reading of a letter from the Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, 

of which Washington was the First Master. . . .Brother G. W. Atkinson 
Reading of a Letter Dictated by Brother Adna A. Treat, possibly the 

oldest Mason in the United States Brother G. W. Atkinson 

Violin Solo Miss Dulbridge 

Select Reading — The Character of Washington Rev. Carson 

Address — "Masonry" Brother J. M. Price 

Benediction Rev. Carson 

Attest: G. W. Atkinson, 

Secretary. 

GEORGETOWN. 

Georgetown, Colo., December 24. 

Ed. C. Pakmelee, Esq., Right Worshipful Grand Secretary : 

Conforming to the order of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, I 
herewitli return details of our Washington Memorial Exercisoe, held De- 
cember 14, 1899. 



Centennial flDeniorial 183 

We were unable to present an address on the "Idea of the Equality of 
Men," etc., but in all other respects the Grand Lodge committee's recom- 
mendations were carried out to the letter. 

The exercises were conducted jointly by ]^os. 12 and 48, the latter 
being then in annual session; No. 12 met with them, the officers being 
equally divided between Nos. 12 and 48 — Brother D. E. Hatch, Master of 
No. 12, acting as Worshipful Master. About forty brethren, being clothed 
and bearing tlie Great Lights, formed in procession and marched to the 
Presbyterian Church. After concluding the exercises, the Lodge re-formed 
and marched to their hall, where the Lodge was duly closed ou the third 
degree. A large number of citizens filled the church and manifested much 
interest in the exercises. 

We desire to especially invite attention to the very able address of Wor- 
shipful Master Dorus R. Hatch on "The Services and Character of Wash- 
ington," and trust it may be found worthy of distinction. 

Fraternally submitted, 

Heney H. Nash, 

Secretary. 

GEORGETOWN CENTENNIAL 

Of the Death of 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 

Thursday, December 14, 1899. 

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 

Washington Lodge No. 12. Georgetown Lodge No. 48. 

PROGRAM. 

Opening Prayer Rev. George Darley 

Letter from the Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge 

Read by W. M. Fletcher 



i84 Zbc TMaebinoton flI>a9onic 

Quartette — "Sleep, Peacefully Sleep" 

Letter from Brother Treat Read by H. H. Nash 

Lear's Account of Washington's Death Read by Mary I. Fletcher 

Solo — "The Grave of Washington" 

The Farewell Address Read by Fred Dewey 

Services and Character of Washington Address by D. R. Hatch 

"America" Congregation 

Benediction. 

ADDRESS BY D. R. HATCH. 

We boast of what America has done, of important inventions and great dis- 
coveries; of ingenious appliances to save time and labor, to increase wealth and 
comfort. We call them the crowning efforts of man's progress in his struggle with 
the powers of nature. These are noble achievements, but they are not the greatest 
glory of our nation. Nor are material things, however ingenious and wonderful, 
wealth, however vast, or knowledge, however profound, the chief possession of a 
people. Let a nation boast of the men it has produced, for unless successive gen- 
erations are of a noble breed, unless they are of a better quality of mind, unless 
they are of a finer moral fiber, all progress in wealth and knowledge is in vain. 
The chief glory of these United States is the men they have produced. 

From 1607 to 1763. from the settlement of Jamestown to the close of the Old 
French War, America was known to the world only as a howling wilderness, inhab- 
ited by fierce beasts and fiercer men. In all that time no poet, no philosopher, no 
warrior, no statesman had arisen. But that century and a half did not elapse in 
vain. Its generations were not unfruitful. There was breeding a race of men, the 
like of which the world has never known, a race of warriors, patriots and construc- 
tive statesmen, v.'hose writings surpass the masterpieces of antiquity, whose nation 
building was fraught with greater moment to the world than that of Alexander or 
of Csesar. Of all the men who ever lived on earth fit to perform that ancient and 
heroic work, the founding of a State, they were the fittest, and among them Wash- 
ington was first. 

What constitutes a State? 

Not high-raised battlements or labored mound. 

Thick wall or moated gate. 

Not cities proud, with spires and turrets crowned; 

Not starred and spangled courts. 

Where low-browed baseness wafts perfume to pride. 

No. Men — high-minded men — 

Men who their duties know. 

But know their right, and. knowing, dare maintain. 



Centennial fIDeniorlal 185 

The world has need of such as these, and God had prepared the crisis, the 
hour, and the men. 

Athens of old boasted that her citizens sprang from the soil, were sons of 
Mother Earth. So are all men. Nature, in her outer aspect, marked the man. 
The soil, climate, the mountains, the sea, the forest; these determine the occupa- 
tions and mould the mind of man. Our forefathers were set where Nature taught 
her grandest lessons. Before them rolled the limitless expanse of ocean, behind 
them the endless forests covered the innumerable hills which measured the dis- 
tance to the mountains and beyond — men yet scarce knew what, but vast, illimit- 
able, and in it the possibility of future empire. All this they saw with broadened 
minds. Nature also taught them the homelier virtues. She taught them simplicity 
from their necessities, she taught them self-reliance from the dangers of the wilder- 
ness, she taught them industry to wring bread from a reluctant soil; and best of all, 
she taught them Independence; the love of liberty was in the air they breathed. 
Years of Washington's young life were spent in close and solitary companionship 
with nature — by day the immeasurable and stately forest, the eternal hills, the ma- 
jestic river; by night, the stars and all the hushed teachings of a midnight stillness 
in the forest. From these he drew his thoughts, and reasoned back from creation 
to Creator. 

The age demanded a form of government free from the caprice of princes, free 
from caste and class, free from the servility and superstition of the past. The 
colonies had worked a century and a half on this problem. The instinct of self- 
government they had as an Anglo-Saxon inheritance. They had resisted the ag- 
gressions of kings; they had enacted and altered constitutions; they had made 
their own laws. Virginia had defied the Crown, she had thrust a worthless royal 
governor out, she had rebelled against another. The Colonists had stood upon 
their rights as Englishmen and men, all the while working unconsciously toward 
that nice grant of, and delicate balancing of, governmental powers, whereby a multi- 
tude can rule itself. To all this experience Washington was heir. He had occu- 
pied public positions, he had sat among the burgesses, he had represented them in 
two Continental Congresses. Such a preparation was to be had nowhere else on 
earth. Thus nature and experience had educated the Colonists to become the 
builders of a nation. They rendered a service, not only to their country, but to us, 
their posterity, and to the world, whose effect shall reach to the end of time. 

The part of that service performed by Washington is matter of common 
knowledge to the American people. Streets and towns, cities and counties, col- 
leges, societies and men by thousands, bear his name throughout our land. His 
statue adorns our parks and halls. His picture hangs on every wall. His deeds 
are part and parcel of the folklore upon which our children feed at mother's knee. 



1 86 



^bc Masbinoton flDasontc 



In recounting the deeds of men we are accustomed to tell of disadvantages 
and hardships. We say in spite of lowly birth, of poverty, of grinding toil, they 
rose to greatness. Surely nothing could be more in error. We should say by the 
aid of lowly birth, blessed by poverty, and educated by grinding toil, they rose to 
greatness. For surely there is no hindrance like a long line of pride-stuffed an- 
cestors, there is no sedative like wealth; and there is no stimulus like 
poverty, no education like that of grinding toil, no courage like that of diffi- 
culties overcome. For the leader of a great democratic people, no man was ever 
born to greater disadvantages than Washington. He was handicapped by birth, by 
wealth, by religion, and by the social institutions of his State. What need had he 
of honor and social position? A long line of worthy ancestors, honest and honor- 
able every one, had bequeathed him that. What need had he of wealth? The 
finest plantations of Virginia were his by inheritance. What need had he for ef- 
fort, for the education of grinding toil? A hundred slaves were born to do his 
bidding. He was born to a family of cavaliers, whose guiding principle was loyalty 
to the house of Stuart. His great-grandfather had fled from England to escape the 
wrath of a so-called commonwealth, because he loved monarchy and revered his 
monarch. Washington was born to a State church, whose head was the King of 
England, whose chiefest tenet was passive obedience to the powers ordained of 
heaven. He was born to a society of castes and classes, founded on slavery reaping 
where it had not sown, and eating where it had not toiled. To all these malignant 
influences was he born. 

But he was not born to these alone, thank God. There were those mighty 
powers at work which set at naught the monarchizing trend of church, and state, 
and aristocracy. Those powers which made the Colonies the breeding ground of 
patriots and statesmen, Virginia, the mother of Presidents, and Washington, the 
father of a free people. 

There were three periods of his public life; there were three inestimable ser- 
vices performed. As general he led the army to success and gained our priceless 
heritage of freedom; as a private citizen he persuaded his distracted countrymen 
to union; as President he based our government on such principles and organized 
its powers In such form as to secure our lasting happiness. 

We see Washington in war moulding an army out of diverse and unruly sol- 
diers. We see him holding that army together against almost insuperable difficul- 
ties. We see him fighting always on his own terms, continually surprising the 
enemy, never taken unawares himself. We see him directing every wise and brill- 
iant movement of an eight years' war. We see him opposing, checking, harassing, 
defeating, and finally capturing armies superior to his own in equipment, discipline 
and numbers. Such deeds are done only by a military genius of the highest order. 



Centennial flDemorial 187 

Frederick the Great of Prussia, himself a consummate master of the military art, 
pronounced them the most brilliant and daring of the century. 

Where shall we look in that long war, full of heroism and pathos, for the pic- 
ture that shall show us Washington at his best and greatest — that shall show in 
him at once the genius of the general and the moral grandeur of the man? Many 
could be painted which would show his bravery, his genius, his wisdom, his gener- 
osity, his tenderness, his faith. But there is none to equal in sublimity that Christ- 
mas night upon the Delaware. There was no shadow of doubt, no moment of hesi- 
tation. The fit of fate was on him. In his breast the hope that gave earnest of 
to-morrow's victory, in his breast that courage that deserved success and won it, 
in his soul, I doubt it not, a serene and abiding faith in Providence. There was a 
God in Israel. Justice would prevail. It is the sublimest picture In all history. 

The war ended, peace was declared, but there was no peace. Independence 
had been conquered, but not tranquility and union. Impoverished by war, with 
property destroyed, credit undermined, and occupations gone, the Colonists found 
that they had changed a stable, steady-going government for a condition not far 
from anarchy. The Congress was a shadow, without money, without credit, with- 
out authority — its requisitions refused, its decisions disregarded, unable to keep the 
peace at home, without respect abroad — the Confederation was a rope of sand. 
The crisis fast approached. Were they to be one nation, respectable and prosper- 
ous, or thirteen nations, contemptible and miserable? Was independence won so 
brilliantly, and at such a cost, to be thrown away? No, not so, while Washington, 
who won that independence, lived. Argument, entreaty, warning, influence, radi- 
ated throughout the land from Mount Vernon as a center. 

Yorktown closed the first period of his life, so the Constitutional Convention 
closed the second. He came at the head of the Virginia delegation. The Conven- 
tion met in the old State House In Philadelphia, in the room where the Declaration 
of Independence had been adopted. Here again the wisdom of the people was as- 
sembled to give forth another immortal document. Above in the belfry was the old 
bell, which bore upon its lip the legend, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto 
all the inhabitants thereof." Again it was to peal its proclamation, then of liberty, 
now of union. 

In his administration as President, Washington was confronted with a prob- 
lem such as no man ever faced before. The Constitution was made, but not the 
government. The document was to be interpreted. In this interpretation Wash- 
ington was perforce a pioneer. He believed that the arm of the national govern- 
ment should be long and strong. It was not yet decided whether we were a nation, 
one and inseparable, or a mere confederation. Nor was the question settled, ex- 
cept by the Ci%'il War. Washington set the precedent when he, by overwhelming 



i88 Z\K Masbinoton flDasonic 



force, crushed rebellion in Western Pennsylvania. WTiile he was President, there 
was no question but what we were a nation, and when the test of civil war came, 
the chief executive was another such as he. Lincoln, puttin;? forth the mighty 
power of an expanded nation to crush rebellion but followed on the lines laid down 
by Washington. 

Thus it was his wish that this nation should become strong and great. It 
was to become strong and great that it might lift its head among the powers of 
earth and show forth a model of free government. But it was to become strong 
and great by inward expansion, not by conquest. Let other nations seize here and 
seize there, let them scramble for the possession of weaker people. He would 
have none of it. This policy he followed when he made the treaty with England. 
Half the people would ally with England and fight France, half would ally with 
France and fight England. He decreed a strict neutrality, and the wisdom of his 
decision abides. Thus the two principles, that of strong central government, and 
that of strict neutrality, from which has flowed our welfare as a nation, originated 
with Washington. 

To lead an army to success, to form a nation, to establish its government on 
just and lasting principles; these things may have been done before, but never in 
the face of such tremendous difficulties; never with such pure and lofty motives; 
never with such glorious results. And for these deeds history will forever ring 
with the love and fame of Washington. 

No long analysis of character is needed. It is blazoned in his works. What 
he was, he did; and what he did, he was. Genius alone could perform his feats of 
war. Intensity, persistence and great force alone could persuade a people to unite. 
Great wisdom, indomitable will, and moral heroism, alone could have established 
an untried form of government. Only honor, generosity, and goodness could have 
enshrined him in the affections of a whole people. Only lofty aims and great en- 
deavors, moral purity and constant self-sacrifice could have enkindled that rever- 
ence akin to worship, with which we still regard him. 

Great passion slumbered in his breast and anon flamed forth in terrible in- 
vective, but only when some base cowardice or mighty injustice had been done. 
Did not the Master curse the Pharisees? The supreme lesson of his life is self- 
control, and that is the lesson that he sends adown the years to you and me; it is 
the only safeguard of a self-governed people. His character is massive in its 
strength. We see him as a tower in the storm. The key to it was duty; clearly 
he saw what he ought to do, and did it well; more than that, can no man do. Such 
self-control and devotion to duty can spring only from an abiding faith in God. 
Such faith he had, and because he had faith in God, he had faith in men. He lived 
a pure and blameless life; vice touched him not; he occupied high place and power. 



Centennial fiDemorial 189 

yet ambition did not disturb his slumbers, and all the ends he aimed at were his 
country's, his God's and truth's. 

A hundred years ago to-day, "soothed and sustained by an unfaltering trust," 
he passed away as "one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him and lies 
down to pleasant dreams." 

Now stand with me upon the stately porch of the mansion at Mount Vernon. 
The grassy slope drops gracefully away, its surface shaded here and there by 
trees. At its foot the placid Potomac rolls its placid waters in peaceful silence to 
the sea; beyond and far away and blue the hills of Maryland. The scene is that 
of beauty; the air is that of peace. God's benediction rests upon the spot, and here 
in shaded nook, in ivy-covered tomb, the great heart sleeps. The rulers of the 
nation, the mighty of the land, were there to-day; with uncovered heads and bowed 
they stood. The spirit of the Master was upon them, and they took away, as I 
trust we shall take away, aspirations for a nobler life. 

GLENWOOD SPRINGS. 

CENTEN^XIAL MEMOEIAL 
OF 

WASHINGTON'S DEATH. 

(Portrait of Washington.) 

Held at the 

DuKAND Opera House, 

Glenwood Springs, Colorado, 

by 

Glenwood Lodge No. G5, A. F. and A. M., 

Thursday evening, December 14, 1899. 

PROGRAMME. 

Prayer — Brother, the Rev. Hiram Bullis, Pastor of the Episcopal Church of 
Glenwood Springs. 

Music — '"Solemn Strikes the Funeral Chime." 

Exhortation — Right Worshipful Brother, David W. Rees, Master of Glen- 
wood Lodge No. 65, A. F. and A. M. 



190 ^be Ma0binoton flDaeonic 

Music — "Thou Art Gone to the Grave." 

Prayer — Grand Master's ceremony. 

Music — "O Lord, Our Fathers Oft Have Told." 

Address— Right Worshipful Brother Marshall H. Dean, Grand Junior 

Warden. 
Music — "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." 
Benediction. 

ADDRESS BY MARSHALL H. DEAN. 

Worshipful Master, Wardens, Brethren and Friends: 

We have met here this evening to pay our respects to the memory of our 
Worshipful Brother George Washington, whose death occurred at Mount Vernon, 
Virginia, at twenty minutes past ten o'clock, P. M., December 14, 1799, in his sixty- 
eighth year. 

The Masonic fraternity of the United States have assembled at Mount Vernon 
on this day, represented by the Grand Masters of the several jurisdictions of this 
country, and have re-enacted the solemn ceremonies that took place there one 
hundred years ago. 

Having been designated by my Lodge to prepare an address for this evening, 
I have compiled a few facts relative to George Washington's Masonic life, which I 
hope may prove of interest to our audience, and especially to the brethren of the 
Craft here assembled to do honor to the memory of our departed Brother. 

One hundred and forty-seven years ago George Washington was initiated into 
the sublime mysteries of the Masonic Institution; the scenes enacted on that day 
in a small and obscure Lodge of the Old Dominion, were then, while the dark veil 
of the futurity was still undrawn, supposed to be of an ordinary character. 

The minute book of the Lodge at Fredericlisburg, Virginia, presents no more 
than the usual record, that on the fourth day of November, 1752, George Washing- 
ton was initiated as an entered apprentice Mason. 

The youth, who, though even then, had been honored by a distinguished ap- 
pointment in the military service of his native State, had not yet developed the 
germ of his future greatness, passed undoubtedly through the solemn ceremonies 
of initiation into our mystic rights, without any suspicion on the part of those who 
assisted in bestowing on him the light of Masonry, that the transaction then occur- 
ring was to become an era in the annals of our institution; but time, whose lessons 
are always progressive, are often unexpected, has since taught us that the event of 
that evening was among the most important in the history of American Masonry. 
It has furnished a topic of angry discussion to the enemies, and of grateful exulta- 



Centennial fiDemortal 191 

tion to the friends, of our institution. It lias given an abiding testimony to the 
virtuous principles of that society among whose disciples "The Patriot, the Hero 
and the Sage" did not disdain to be numbered. And while time shall last and 
Masonry shall endure that old but distinctly legible page in the record book of 
Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 of Virginia, will be pointed to with proud satisfaction by 
every Mason as indisputable evidence that the wisest of statesmen, the purest of 
patriots, the most virtuous of men, was indeed his brother, and bound with him in 
one common but mystic tie of fraternity and love. 

In the ancient book of Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, at Fredericksburg, Vir- 
ginia, will be found the following entries: 

■■November 4, 1752. This evening Mr. George Washington was initiated as an 
entered apprentice, and the receipt of the entrance fee, amounting to two pounds three 
shillings, is acknowledged." 

'■On the 3rd day of March, 1753, Mr. George Washington is recorded as having 
passed a fellowcraft." 

"On the 4th of the succeeding August. 1753. the transactions of the evening are 
that Mr. George Washington and others who.se names are mentioned, are stated to have 
been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason." 

The records of the early Masonic career of Washington are inestimable to the 
Mason as memorial of the first connection of the Father of his Country with our 
institution. 

But if the history of that connection had there ceased, if admitted to our 
Temple he had but glanced with cold and indifferent eye upon its mysteries, and 
if then unaffected by their beauty, untouched by their sublimity, and unawakened 
by their truth, lie had departed from our portals, the pride with which we hail him 
as a Brother would have been a vain presumption, and this tribute to his memory a 
senseless mockery. But the seeds of Masonry which were sown on the evening of 
that November fell not on barren soil. It grew with his growth, and strengthened 
with his strength, and bloomed and ripened into an abiding love and glowing zeal 
for our Order, nor ever withered or decayed amid all the trials and struggles, the 
perils and excitements of a long life spent, first in battling to gain the liberties of 
his country, and then in counseling to preserve them. The evidence of all this is 
on record, and the genuineness of the record cannot be disputed. 

Whatever the enemies of Masonry may say to the contrary, however they 
may have attempted in the virulence of their persecution to insinuate that his con- 
nection with our Order was but accidental and temporary, first formed in the 
thoughtlessness of youth, and then at once and forever dissolved, there is abundant 
testimony to show that he never for a moment disowned allegiance to the Mystic 
Art, and never omitted on every appropriate occasion by active participation in our 
rites, to vindicate the purity of the institution, and to demonstrate in the most 
public manner his respect for its principles. 



192 Zbc MasbiuGton fIDasonic 

Years after his initiation, when he held the exalted rank of leader of our 
armies in those perilous days, which have been so well defined as "The times that 
tried men's souls," notwithstandinR his responsible duties, his arduous labors, his 
mental disquietudes, he would often lay aside the ensigns of his supreme authority 
and forgetting for a time "the pomp and circumstances of glorious war," would 
enter the secluded tent and mingle on a level with his brav^ companions in the 
solemn devotion and mystic rights of some military lodge, where, under the sacred 
inlluence of Masonry, the God of carnage found no libations poured upon his altar, 
but where the heartfelt prayer for the prevalence of harmony and brotherly love 
was offered to the Grand Architect of the Universe. 

We have the authority of a distinguished Mason of Virginia, who has elab- 
orately investigated the Masonic life of Washington, for saying that "frequently, 
when surrounded by a brilliant staff he would depart from the gay assemblage and 
seek the instruction of the Lodge," and on one of these occasions Captain Hugh 
Maloy was initiated in the Marquee of Washington, the Commander-in-Chief him- 
self presiding at the ceremony. 

In scenes like these the great Napoleon has been known to appear, and the 
Lodges of Paris have more than once beheld the ruler of the Empire mingling in 
their labors, a willing witness of the great doctrine of Masonic equality; but in the 
founder of a new dynasty such condescension might, and possibly with some truth, 
be attributed to the policy of winning public applause. In our true-hearted, single- 
minded Washington, no such subserviency to man-worship could be suspected; his 
only motives were deep love for the institution and profound admiration for its 
principles. 

In the Forty-sixth regiment of the British army there was a traveling Lodge, 
holding its warrant of constitution under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of 
Ireland, and after an engagement between the American and British forces, in 
which the latter were defeated, the private chest of the Lodge, containing its 
jewels, furniture and implements, fell into the hands of the Americans. The cap- 
tors reported the circumstance to General Washington, who at once ordered the 
chest to be returned to the Lodge and regiment under a guard of honor. 

The surprise, says the historian of the event (himself an EnBllsliman and Ma- 
son), the feelings of both oflloers .ind men m;iy be im.iKined when they perceived the 
nag of truce that announced this elegant compliment from thoir noble opponent, but 
still more noble brother. The guard of honor with their music playing a sacred march, 
the chest containing the Constitution and implements of the Craft borne aloft like an- 
other ark of the covenant, eiiually by Englishmen and Americans, who lately engaged 
In the strife of war, now marched through the enfiladed ranks of the gallant regiment, 
that with presented arms and colors hailed the glorious act by cheers which the senti- 
ment rendered sacred as the hallelujahs of an angel's song. 



Ce ntennial flDemortal 193 

When the contest which secured the independence and freedom for his coun- 
try was terminated, Washington, covered with the admiration and gratitude of his 
fellow citizens, retired like another Cincinnatus to the shades of private life, but 
he did not abandon then his interest in the institution of which he was an honored 
member. In 1788 he united with others in presenting a petition for the formation 
of a new Lodge at Alexandria, Virginia, and the warrant of constitution, as the 
instrument authorizing the organization is technically called, is still in existence, 
preserved in the archives of that Lodge. That warrant commences with these 
words: 

"I, Kdmond Randolph. Governor of the State, and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge 
of Virginia, do hereby constitute and appoint our illustrious and well beloved Brother 
George Washington. Esq.. late General and Commander-in-Chief of the forces of the 
United States of America, and our worthy brethren, Robert McCrea, William Hunter, 
Jr., and Joseph Allison, Esq., together with all such other brethren as may be admitted 
to associate witli tliem. to be a just, true and regular Lodge of Freemasons, by the 
name and title and designation of Alexandria Lodge No. 22." 

The Lodge is still in existence, and in active operation, but in 1805 its name 
was changed in honor of its first Master, to that of Alexandria-Washington Lodge. 

The Honorable Timothy Bigelow, in an eulogy delivered before the Grand 
Lodge of Massachusetts, two months after Washington's death, when there were 
still living witnesses, supplies us with further evidence of his Masonic character. 
He says: 

The information received from our brethren wlio had the happiness to be mem- 
bers of the Lodge over which Washington presided for many years, and of which he 
died the Master, furnished abundant proof of his persevering zeal for the prosperity of 
the institution. Constant and punctual in his attendance, scrupulous in liis observance 
of the regulations of the Lodge, and solicitous at all times to communicate light and 
instruction, he discharged the duties of the cliair with uncommon dignity and intelli- 
gence in all the mysteries of our art. 

Incidents like these, interesting as they may be, are not all that is left to us 
to exhibit the attachment of Washington to Masonry. On repeated occasions he 
has announced in his letters and addresses to various Masonic bodies his profound 
esteem for the character and his just appreciation of the principles of that institu- 
tion into which at so early an age he had been admitted. And during his long and 
laborious life no opportunity was presented of which he did not gladly avail him- 
self to evince that he was a Mason in heart as well as in name. Thus in the year 
1797, in reply to an affectionate address from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 
he says: 

My attachment to the society of which we are members will di.spose me always 
to contribute my best endeavors to promote the honors and prosperity of the Craft. 



194 ^'^e Masblnoton flDasontc 

Five years before this letter was written, he had, in a communication to the 
same body, expressed his opinion of the Masonic institution as one whose liberal 
principles are founded on the immutable laws of truth and justice, and whose grand 
object is to promote the happiness of the human race. 

In answer to an address from the Grand Lodge of South Carolina in 1791, he 
says: 

I recognize with pleasure my relation to the brethren of your society, and I shall 
be happy on every occasion to evince my regard for the Fraternity. 

In writing to the oflScers of St. David's Lodge at Newport, Rhode Island, in the 
same year, he uses this language: 

Being persuaded that a just application of the principles on which the Masonic 
fraternity is founded must be promotive of private virtue and public prosperity, I shall 
always be happy to advance the interests of tlie society, .and to be considered by them 
as a deserving brother. 

And in a letter addressed in November, 1798, only thirteen months before his 
death, to the Grand Lodge of Maryland, he makes this explicit declaration of his 
opinion of the institution: 

So far as I am acquainted with the doctrines and principles of Freemasonry I 
conceive them to be founded in benevolence, and to be exercised only for the good of 
mankind. I cannot, therefore, upon this ground, withdraw my approbation from it. 

If I have paused thus long upon these memorials of the past, and if I have 
borrowed thus largely from these evidences of Washington's opinions, it is that so 
far this audience at least may know of his sincere attachment to our Order, and 
that Washington was in very truth a Mason in heart, in affection and in allegiance, 
not merely in name and in outward bearing, but one who wrought with \is in our 
hours of labor, and whose visits to our temple were prompted by no idle curiosity, 
but by warm devotion to the interests of the Craft, and a philosophical admiration 
of our mystic system. And is It not a noble eulogy of our institution that it should 
have numbered among its faithful disciples one so stainless in morals, so devout 
in religion, a patriot so pure, a statesman so virtuous, that his life was the admira- 
tion of the world, his death the desolation of his country? 

There is, indeed, in the whole pervading spirit of Freemasonry, something of 
that beauty of holiness which must have been congenial to the character of such 
a man as he. His heart was irresistibly drawn to it by the purity of its prin- 
ciples and the sublime beneficence of its design. He could not but love it because 
it was holy, and he could not but admire it because it was intellectual. Unfaltering 
trust in God, an humble dependence on the wisdom and power of the Supreme 
Controller of the Universe, is the first as well as the most indispensable moral 



Centennial flDemorial 195 

qualification of every candidate for our mystic rites, and this virtue the foundation 
and suggestion of every other, was a distinguishing feature In the religious consti- 
tution of Washington. 

In all his private and public letters, in his official correspondence with the 
government and in his orders to the army, this firm reliance, this trustful depend- 
ence on Divine Providence, is prominently and frequently referred to as though it 
were a topic on which he could not too often dilate. 

Of charity, which has been aptly called the capstone of the Masonic edifice, 
and which, like the virtue already spoken of is taught in the most important cere- 
mony of initiation, Washington was an illustrious example. He uniformly acted 
whenever the poor and deserving were presented to his notice. Under the influence 
of that great doctrine of our Order, which teaches us "To sooth the unhappy, to 
sympathize with their misfortunes, to compassionate their miseries, and to restore 
peace to their troubled minds," brotherly love, that sublime principle of philan- 
thropy by which, as it is defined in our ritual, "We are taught to regard the whole 
human species as one family, the high and low, the rich and poor, who as created 
by one Almighty Parent are to aid. support and protect each other," was admirably 
exemplified in his humanity to the prisoner. His was indeed the character to win 
kindness from an enemy or to secure fidelity in a friend. 

But why extend this catalogue, or why protract this eulogium of him whom 
now to praise were indeed "to paint the lily or to gild fine gold?" May we not, in 
viewing this goodly audience and this large assemblage of the members of a 
mystic fraternity offering up the holocaust of their whole heart's veneration, and 
that, too, not here alone, but in all the widely separated segments of this vast 
empire, in the North, in the South, in the East and in the West, be all animated 
by one common feeling of Joyous exaltation, and that the most loved and honored of 
our mighty dead was with us and of us, bound willingly and cheerfully himself in 
our bond of fraternity? Looking thus at all that is around us in this public display, 
and all that is in us and about us in the sentiment of honest pride, that as Masons 
warms and animates us, may we not point to this day and to these services as a 
monument to the memory of our own, our venerated brother? 

The fact that Washington was an active and devoted member of our fraternity 
is in itself a source of congratulation. But while we thus peculiarly honor the 
greatest man of his age, and assert that in uniting with us he vindicated by his 
own virtue the purities of his principles, we may be permitted to indulge in the 
consoling consciousness that such a vindication was not altogether wanting, but 
that both before and since the connection of Washington with the Craft Free- 
masonry has presented a catalogue of glorious names inscribed upon its proud 
escutcheon. It is indeed with truth that the ritual of our order declares to each 



196 ^be Masbinaton HDasonic 

Initiate that "the greatest and best of men in all ages have been encouragers and 
promoters of the art. and have never deemed it derogatory to their dignity to 
level themselves with the fraternity, to extend their privileges, and to patronize 
their assemblies." 

General Washington never forgot Masonry when a soldier. He encouraged and 
\isited camp Lodges, and participated in their labors, frequently oflSciating as 
Master. 

It was at the old Freeman's Tavern on the green of Morristown, New Jersey, 
in 1777, that Washington himself made General Lafayette a FYeemason. Washing- 
ton became a Royal Arch Mason in the year 1755, in a military Lodge connected 
with a British regiment in the command of the ill-fated General Braddock. So 
deeply, so fully was he impressed with the solemnities of the degree, that the Bible 
on which he sealed his obedience to the Order was henceforth to him not only the 
venerated word of God, but the sublime witness of his Royal Brotherhood. This 
volume, which witnessed the exaltation of the august companion, is now in the 
possession of a Lodge in Manchester, England, where in the years 1834 and 1852 it 
was exhibited in solemn procession which moved three times around the Temple, 
and accompanied by a guard of soldiers. 

On the roll of workmen who have labored in the erection of our mystic 
Temple there are found many eminent and honored names, names that have been 
conspicuous in the history of our race, and which are often repeated when the 
great achievements of the past are recounted. The records of Masonry are 
adorned with such on almost every page; we need not go back to remote antiquity 
to search for distinguished craftsmen among its traditionary legends, though such 
are not wanting even there. 

Frederick the Great of Prussia, George the IV of England, with all his uncles 
and brothers; Oscar of Sweden, Christian of Denmark and Ernest of Hanover may 
be named among the kings and princes who have not only been the patrons but 
the disciples of our art. Napoleon, with every marshal! and general of his camp; 
Nelson, Wellington, Collingswood and Napier, and every distinguished leader of 
England's army and navy have worn the Masonic badge and learned the Mason's 
sign. In our own country the role of distinguished Masons is not less honorable to 
the fraternity. In the Revolutionary War all the generals of the American army, 
and those noble and kindred spirits who came from France, Germany and Poland 
to assist us, were bound together, not only by the glorious bonds of the common 
struggle, but by the additional cords of Masonic fraternity. And when, in after 
days, Lafayette, that patriot of the two hemispheres, had returned to the home 
from which for our cause he had so long been in exile, he could find no better token 
of his grateful recollection to convey to Washington, his venerated father in arms. 



Centennial nPeinortal 197 

than a Mason's scarf and a Mason's apron, and which, wrought by Madam Lafay- 
ette, a Mason's wife, were long treasured and worn by him to whom they were 
presented, and are now preserved as sacred relics by Alexandria-Washington Lodge 
No. 22. 

In civil life we claim an equally noble catalogue. More than fifty of the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence, several of our Presidents, including 
President William McKinley, also many of our judges and distinguished statesmen, 
have been initiated into the rites of Masonry. Henry Clay is recorded in our annals 
as a Mason of unfaltering devotion, who years ago sacrificed the aspirations of 
ambition to his love of the Craft and refused the nomination for the Presidency by 
what was then supposed to be a powerful party, when the price of his support was 
to be a renunciation of Freemasonry. 

The records of the Craft are full, not only of noble names, but of the noble 
deeds of those who have shared in our labors and participated in our mystic rites; 
such names as Joseph Warren, Thomas Smith Webb, Sir Christopher Wren, James 
Anderson, Joseph Brandt, the Duke of Sussex, DeWitt Clinton, Benjamin Franklin, 
Marquis Lafayette, Israel Putnam, Paul Revere, David Wooster, Albert Pike, Dr. 
Oliver, Robert Morris, Dr. Mackey and a host of others too numerous to recite in 
this brief address; men whose hearts have swelled with pure emotions, whose 
strong arms and great souls have been the bulwarks of their country's rights and 
freedom, and whose living thoughts on science, philosophy and ethics have flashed 
like sunbeams on the intellect of the world ; men who have adorned all professions 
that are honorable, and won distinction in every field of legitimate employment. 
Among all these we find those who were proud to be numbered among the royal 
Craft, and hailed by them as Free and Accepted Masons. 

But why prolong this glorious theme to men, to minds, to hearts like these 
coming up in their devotions to our altars from all times and from all countries? 
Masonry may proudly point, as Cornelia did of old to her children, and say, indeed, 
with truth, "These, these are my jewels." 

A century has passed since George Washington's immortal spirit passed 
beyond. How many old empires have passed away, and how many new ones have 
been ushered into existence! How many dynasties of kings and kaisers have 
been blotted from the herald book of history, and how many others have been 
inscribed upon its pages of mundane glory! How many of the wise and good, the 
noble and the great, have drifted in the shattered bark of life to the shores where 
all is dumb! How many hearts that then beat with all the hopes of youth, or 
with all the ambition of age have ceased to pulsate, and all their throbs of joy and 
love, or hate and grief, been stilled in the silence of the tomb! 



198 Cbc masbinaton HDasonic 

What millions of that busy throng who then peopled the earth's surface have 
buried ail their struggles, and found a certain rest for all their varied labors in 
the grave! What revolutions have there not been In nations; what changes in 
arts and science; how many old theories have been proved to be fallacious: how 
many new ones invested with truth since that memorable day when George Wash- 
ington, our brother, was laid to rest, and he, too, with all his energy and endurance, 
with all his wisdom and purity, with all his power and popularity, even he has 
passed away, has gone from us forever. leaving his glory and virtues as a legacy to 
his country. 

But time, which has thus drawn into the vortex of its mighty gulf the perish- 
able fabrics of man's device and buried in one common wreck the inventors and 
their inventions, the players and the stage on which they "strutted their brief 
hour." has beaten in vain with all its billows against the impregnable rock of 
Masonry. 

Though other things have passed away, that still remains now as it ever has 
been, indissoluble, immutable, no land marks subverted, no fragments dissevered 
from its perfect mass, its columns still standing in strong support, its lights still 
blazing with their sacred fires, its truth still pure as in the days of its birthhood, 
and when the cycle of another century shall have revolved, and you and I. and all 
that are elsewhere meeting on this Ceremonial Day. shall have gone down to the 
dust from whence we sprung, another generation will be here again to meet upon 
a second ceremony of the two htmdredth anniversary of the day when the brother- 
hood lost the noblest of her sons. 

Deep and solid he laid the foundations of this mighty nation. His was 
"square work;" even when tested by the severest rules of art. He proved himself 
a '"Master Workman" wherever and whenever he applied his strength and skill, 
and at near the age which Providence usually allots to man, at peace with the 
world, in the bosom of his family, in a green and honored old age, he laid him 
down, and died in full hope of a glorious immortality, and was buried on his own 
ground, on the shores of the noble stream so dear to his heart. 

Disturb not his slumbers, let 'Washiii&ton sleep 
'Xeath the bousbs of the willows that over him weep: 
His arm is unnerved, but his deeds remain bright 
As the stars in the dark vaulted heaven at night. 

O. 'wake not the hero, his battles are o'er. 
Let him rest, calmlr rest, on his own native shore. 
Willie the stars and the stripes of our country shall wave 
O'er the land that can boast of a Washington's grave. 



Centennial flDeniorlal 199 

GOLDEN. 

Golden, Colo., December 23, 1899. 

Right Worshipful Brother Grand Secretary: 

I regret to say that this Lodge held no observance of the one hundredth 
anniversary of the death of Brother George Washington on December 14, 
1899, as suggested by our Most Worshipful Grand Master, and, therefore, 
I have no report of proceedings to make. 

Fraternally yours, 

George K. Kimball, 

Secretary. 

GRAND JUNCTION. 

(Picture of Washington.) 

MEMOKIAL EXERCISES. 

Mesa LodcxE No. .55, A. F. and A. M., 

Grand Junction, Colorado, 

December 14, A. D. 1899. 

PROGRAM. 

Music. 

Prayer Rev. O. E. Ostenson 

The Washington Memorial Exercises Horace T. De Long 

The Influence of Masonry on the Development of the American Idea 

of the Equality of Men Rev. R. Sanderson 

Music. 
A Letter to the Lodges of Colorado from the Worshipful Master of 
Alexandria Lodge, of which Lodge Washington Was the First 

Master Under Its Virginia Charter Oscar D. Stewart 

An Account of Washington's Last Illness, from the Diary of His Sec- 
retary Lovias P. Ingersoll 



200 (Ibe Masbiiifiton flDasonic 

My Recollections of Grand Marquis de Lafayette, the Warm Personal 
Friend of George Wastiington. by Adna Adams Treat of Denver, 

now in the 103rd Year of His Age William I. Hammond 

Music. 

Washington's Farewell Address Heman R. Bull 

The Personal Character and Public Services of Washington 

Prof. W. H. Miller 

Music. 

Benediction Rev. John M. P. Martin 

America — "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," etc. 



GREELEY. 

A special communication of Occidental Lodge No. 20, A. F. and 
A. M., was held in Masonic Hall, December 14, 1899, at 8:30 p. m., A. L. 
5S99, for the purpose of holding Memorial Exercises upon the centennial 
of the death of Brother George Washington. The Lodge opened in due 
form on the third degree, and was then called from labor to refreshment, 
and the public invited to the Lodge room, where the following programme 
was rendered: . 

Opening Prayer By Brother Joseph Moore 

Response By M. E. Church Choir 

Reading Personal Letter to the Lodges of Colorado from the Worship- 
ful Master of Alexandria Lodge, of which Lodge Washington Was 

the First Worshipful Master Under Its Virginia Charter 

By Brother H. T. West 

Music — Banjo selection Brother A. W. James 

Reading — Personal Character and Public Services of Washington .... 

Brother Frank Maddon 

Solo- — Mount Vernon Bells Miss M. Nora Boylan 

Reading — Personal Letter from Adna Adams Treat of Denver 

Brother S. Atkinson 

Reading — An Account of Washington's Last Illness, from Diary of His 

Secretary J. M. B. Peterkin 



Centennial nPemorial 20^ 

Memorial Hymn M. E. Church Choir 

Reading — Washington's Farewell Address Brother Z. X. Snyder 

Song — "America" By the audience 

The public having retired, the Lodge was then called from refreshment 
to labor, and closed on the third degree in due and ancient form. 

Sharon Atkinson, 

Secretary. 



ADDRESS BY BROTHER FRANK MADDON. 

The private character of George Washington was to a great degree molded by 
his surroundings, and the influences with which he was environed. Left fatherless 
at the age of ten years, he fell under the influences of his brother Lawrence, his 
senior by some fourteen years, a man who had received a finished education in 
Europe, and who, because of his abilities and acquirements, held a commission in 
the British army. It is no wonder, then, that the young ambition of George should 
be stimulated to admiration by the well-bred, graceful, easy and polished manners 
of his tall and distinguished-looking brother. To his associations with his brother 
Lawrence, his biographer states, is due, in a great measure, his inclinations toward 
a military life. 

With visions of ultimate fame on the field of battle young Washington, no 
doubt, at this early day, looked forward with no little anxiety for opportunities 
where he might distinguish himself in the profession of arms, and much of the 
methodical manner with which he conducted his own private affairs is due to the 
discipline to which he devoted so much time and attention, both in early and after 
life, while in command of his troops in the several campaigns in which he was en- 
gaged. 

To him the past is not an oblivion. The silence of the tomb echoes the 
acclamations of his countrymen, as, in that distant day, he was just such a person- 
age as would excite the admiration of both citizen and soldier alike. A man of 
magnificent presence, wanting in what, at the present day, might be termed a uni- 
versity training, yet because of his natural gifts and rare qualities of mind he suc- 
cessfully met and gained the esteem of the most distinguished diplomats of the 
Old World. In his intercourse with men as a private citizen, he impressed all 
with respect and admiration, not only because of his excellent qualities, but on 
account of his unerring judgment, strong appreciation and consideration of the 



202 ilbc Masbiiujton flDasonic 

rights of others, and withal a delicacy so admirable as to call forth favorable criti- 
cism from all those with whom he conducted business. A man not gifted with 
eloquence, yet because of his honesty of purpose, both of heart and mind, he 
inspired his hearers with that confidence that carries with it conviction. 

Thomas Jefferson tells us that "His stature was exactly what one would 
wish, his deportment easy, erect and noble; the best horseman of his age, and the 
most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback." Washington was essen- 
tially a man of affairs. His life was a busy one. Idleness was not one of his 
faults, if, indeed, he was possessed of any erroneous characteristics; his business 
affairs were always attended to with scrupulous exactness. 

The tongue of scandal never whispered to the foul breezes anything deroga- 
tory to his private or domestic life. He stood before his fellow countrymen and 
the world a man of integrity, admirable in his rare gifts as a citizen of the new 
Republic, a model, so to speak, on which future generations might predicate a 
perfect type of American manhood and citizenship. 

In speaking of the private character of General Washington, it is in a measure 
diflicult to imagine him other than the hero who fought the battles of the nation, 
notwithstanding he was afterwards such a distinguished figure in her public affairs, 
and, we might add, the most illustrious personage that occupies a place in the his- 
tory of modern times. 

As to his public services, they have been so great and so varied, and at the 
same time so well known, that it seems almost useless to rehearse them to an 
audience composed of American citizens. All are more or less familiar with the 
history of the Revolution, where Washington's greatest talents were first called 
into requisition to their fullest extent, and the history of which never could be 
written were we to eliminate the name of George Washington, the central figure, 
around which cluster all those events which have made the sum total of the his- 
tory of the birth of the American Republic. His personality, strange as it may 
seem, is mirrored on every department of this nation from the Atlantic on the east 
to the Pacific on the west; from the perpetual snows of the north to the sunny land 
of Beulah on the south. All bespeak the characteristics so indelibly stamped on 
this nation, and to the existence of which he contributed so much and so unsel- 
fishly. 

Draper tells us that struggle as we may to change the inevitable trend of 
human progress, the time comes when such conditions are no longer possible as 
had heretofore existed, and the history of the world, for that reason, is the more 
rapidly made; and we may fairly assume that at this critical time the struggle 
heretofore waged by the mother country against the independence of the colonies. 



Centennial fiDcmortal 203 

was by Washington, the instrument in the hands of Providence, brought forth in 
greater perfection than it might have been had the change talcen place at an earlier 
day. 

Notwithstanding his limited acquirements he was so gifted by nature as a 
soldier that he met every emergency and turned them to his own advantage, as 
often did Napoleon the Great. Again Jefferson tells us that he was rather slow to 
reach a conclusion, but when he had once fixed on his course of action, no man's 
judgment was more sound. It was conceded by those who knew him as a soldier 
that he was wholly devoid of fear on the field of battle. However, he never acted 
without due and mature deliberation, and once having seen his way clear no power 
could turn him from his purpose, whatever that might be. The confidence and es- 
teem in which he was held by his countrymen is evidenced by the positions of trust 
and responsibility to which he was so frequently called, and while serving his 
country, both as a soldier and legislator, his counsel was so often sought and held 
in such high esteem. No scandal growing out of any of his public acts, as is too 
often in our day made manifest, has been left to posterity, or to his fellow country- 
men as an inheritance, and when he finally retired to his home on the banks of the 
Potomac it was with a full sense of having done his whole duty, and with the 
grateful commendation of his felow citizens for work well and faithfully executed. 

The farewell address, to which we will listen, is characteristic of the man, 
wise, temperate and considerate of the destinies of the new-born nation. In the 
language of another: "In the production of Washington, it does really appear as 
if Nature was endeavoring to improve upon herself, and that all the virtues of 
the ancient world were but so many studies preparatory to the patriot of the new. 
Individual instances, no doubt there were; splendid exemplifications of some single 
qualification. Csesar was merciful; Scipio was continent; Hannibal was patient, 
but it was reserved for Washington to blend them all in one, and like the chef 
d'oeuvre of the Grecian artist, to exhibit in one glow of associated beauty the pride 
of every model and the perfection of every master. As a general he martialed the 
peasant into a veteran, and supplied by discipline the absence of experience; as a 
statesman he enlarged the policy of the cabinet into the most comprehensive 
system of general advantage; and such was the wisdom of his views and the philos- 
ophy of his counsels that to the soldier and statesman he added the character of the 
sage! A conqueror, he was untainted with the crime of blood; a revolutionist, he 
was free from any stain of treason; for aggression commenced the contest, and 
his country called him to the command. Liberty unsheathed his sword, necessity 
stained it, victory returned it. If he paused here history might have doubted what 
station to assign him — whether at the head of her citizens or her soldiers, her 
heroes or her patriots. But the last glorious act crowned his career and banishes 



204 ^be IMasbtnoton flDasonic 

all hesitation. Wlio, like Washington, after having emancipated a hemisphere, re- 
signed its crown and preferred the retirement of domestic life to the adoration of 
a land he might be almost said to have created?" 

In conclusion let me say, that while constitutional liberty lasts he shall re- 
main the most illustrious figure of his own or any other time, "the soldier hero 
who redeemed the nation and cut man's chains assiinder with his sword." From 
the tumult and strife of revolution, from the broken power of the nations of the old 
world, who with mailed hand had for centuries held undisputed their depend- 
encies, sprang the great Republic of Republics, a nation founded on a constitution, 
the beacon light of a new civilization, at the head of which stands our illustrious 
fellow craftsman — George Washington. 



IDAHO SPRINGS. 

Idaho Springs, Colo., December 16, 1899. 

E. C. Pakmelee, Grand Secretary: 

Right Worshipful Sir and Dear Brother — Acting nnder the general 

Dispensation issued by the Grand Master, Idaho Springs Lodge No. 26, 

A. F. and A. M., met at tlieir hall at 7 :30 o'clock p. m., December 14, 1899, 

with thirty members present, including officers and visitors. The Lodge 

was opened on the third degree, a procession was then formed and proceeded 

to the Presbyterian Church, where the following programme was rendered: 

Invocation Rev. Willman 

Song Choir 

Address — The Early Influence of Masonry on the Development of 
the Equality of Man, as Expressed in the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, and Its Culmination in the Independence of the American 

Colonies William L. Bush 

Song Choir 

Reading of a Personal Letter to the Lodges of Colorado from the Wor- 
shipful Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge, of which Wash- 
ington Was the First Master Under Its Virginia Charter 

E. M. Moscript 

Solo — "Star Spangled Banner" Miss Baker 



Centennial flDemorial 205 

Reading — An Account of Washington's Last Illness, Taken from the 

Diary of His Secretary P. A. Moss 

Address — The Personal Character and the Public Services of Wash- 
ington Rev. John L. Boyd 

Reading — Washington's Farewell Address. .Geo. T. Waltman of the G. A. R. 

Song — "America" By the audience 

Benedictioli Rev. Willman 

In view of the patriotic character of the exercises, the members of the 
G. A. K. were invited to attend in a body, which they did to the number of 
twenty. In addition to the members of the Lodge and the G. A. K., there 
were about one hundred and fifty others present. The exercises passed off 
pleasantly and were a credit to the Fraternity. 

Fraternally yours, 

William L. Bush, 

Acting Secretary. 

ADDRESS BY BROTHER W. L. BUSH. 

Before taking up the subject assigned to me, it might be well to state how the 
idea originated in the Masonic Fraternity of holding a Memorial Service on the 
centennial of the death of Worshipful Brother George Washington. At the session 
of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, held in September, 1893, Grand Master W. D. 
Wright, on the suggestion of Brother R. W. Woodbury, Chairman of the Committee 
on Jurisprudence, recommended that proper memorial exercises be held at Mount 
Vernon on this date. At that time a committee of three was appointed to place the 
subject before the other Grand Lodges of the United States. A sufficient number 
of Grand Lodges having signified to co-operate to make the exercises a success, the 
arrangement of the details was placed in the hands of the Grand Lodge of Vir- 
ginia. And to-day, not only at Mount Vernon, but in hundreds of cities and towns 
throughout the United States the Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons have 
met and done honor to the memory of him who was "first In war, first in peace and 
first in the hearts of his countrymen." 

It seems fitting and proper that this suggestion should come from Colorado, 
on account of having been admitted to statehood in 1876, one hundred years after 
the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

In order to show what Influence, if any. Masonry had upon the development 
of the American idea of the equality of men, and in the independence of the Amer- 



2o6 gbc THIlai?binoton flDat?onic 

ican colonies, it will be necessary to give in a general way some of the principal 
doctrines and teachings of the organization, and what is required of its votaries. 
The intluence of an institution reveals itself most clearly in the lives of men who 
have honored its principles and cherished its observances. This is the final test of 
all institutions in the eyes of the world. Masonry's influence has always been a 
silent one. Its work is like the works of nature, silent but irresistible. We can, 
therefore, only judge of its influence on the history of this nation in its formative 
period by the men who were connected with the Fraternity, and a comparison of its 
principles with those of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

First of all. Masonry requires a belief in God. Not in the narrow sense of 
any particular creed or dogma, but in that broad and liberal sense that permits the 
Christian, Jew. Mohammedan and heathen to worship at its altar. We are taught 
to implore His aid in all our laudable undertakings, and to esteem Him as the 
chief good. The right to worship God according to the dictates of the individual 
conscience has always been, and always will be the indisputable right of every 
Mason. 

One of the cardinal principles of Masonry is equality. Not by lowering, but 
by elevating to a common platform, where all meet upon the level, with equal 
rights and equal duties. Masonry regards no man for his worldly wealth or 
honors, believing that it is the internal and not the external qualifications which 
should recommend a man to favor. Around the Masonic altar all meet upon the 
level. All, let their rank in life be what it may, when in the Lodge room are 
brothers. The official jewel of the Senior Warden in every Lodge is a familiar 
emblem of this equality, and no Lodge is ever closed without hearing that principle 
reiterated from the lips of that oflScer. 

One of the qualifications essential in one who seeks admission to the Fra- 
ternity, is that the breath of liberty must have nourished and inspired him from the 
hour of his birth. To bondsmen and slaves Masonic light has ever been denied. 
To be made a Mason a man must be free born, and in every manner qualified for a 
career of usefulness. This is the doctrine of liberty taught to all Masons. Lib- 
erty that is not license, for Masonry teaches men to govern themselves. The insti- 
tution has ever stood with the doctrine of liberty, equality and toleration emblaz- 
oned on its banners, to wage war against feudal institutions and the despotism of 
churches over individual conscience. 

These are some of the cardinal principles of Masonry as taught in her Lodge 
rooms from the very inception of the organization. Long before the discovery of 
the New World these principles have been taught to those who knelt at the altar 
and took the Masonic vows. But under the form of government in monarchial 
countries, the very conditions of society, the methods of earthly monarchs. jealous 



Centenntal fiDemortal 207 

of power, the growth of the organization was necessarily slow. There, conditions 
did not tend to the full and complete application of these teachings. Ev<!n under 
these adverse conditions ideas were sown, the development of which meant much 
to future generations. 

With the settlement of the New World came Masonry, The first Lodge was 
chartered in Boston in 173.S, by the Grand Lodge of EnKJand. From there it grad- 
ually spread throughout the colonies. At the time of the declaration of war there 
were Grand Lodges in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, North and South 
Carolina and Virginia, with subordinate Lodges in nearly all the other colonies. 
Masonry found in this new field a congenial home. When the time came for the 
colonies to cast oft the power of the mother country and declare their independence 
it is found that the names of nearly all those who took an active part in making 
the history of the country at that time, were enrolled as members of the Masonic 
Lodges. 

The unjust taxation and oppression of the British Empire had aroused a feel- 
ing of resentment and resistance in the Colonies. One of the first steps toward 
shaking off the chains of that oppression was the throwing overboard of the tea in 
Boston harbor. Masonic records of Colonial times go to show that this was done 
by Freemasons disguised as Indians. They further show that they went from a 
meeting of St. Andrews Lodge for that purpose. Among those who were in attend- 
ance at that meeting were General Benjamin Lincoln, Robert Treat Paine, Peter 
Faneuil, Dr. Josiah Bartlett, Paul Revere, Dr. Joseph Warren, all names that have 
an honored place in the history of our country. 

Paul Revere, who was made famous by the midnight ride to apprise the citi- 
zens of Concord and Lexington of the intended expedition of the British, had re- 
ceived Masonic light, and was at one time Grand Master of Massachusetts. 

Peyton Randolph, President of the first Continental Congress, and John Han- 
cock, president of the Second Congress, were both Masons. 

Thomas Jefferson, who was Chairman of the Committee to draft the Declara- 
tion of Independence, and who formulated that immortal document, was a Mason, 
as were also fifty-two of the fifty-five signers of it. 

All but one of the Generals of the Continental army had worn the lambskin 
as the badge of a Mason, and gauged their lives by the sublime principles of the 
Order. 

Benjamin Franklin, that sage and patriot, who was one of the committee to 
draft the Constitution of the United States, was Ma.ster of a Lodge in Philadelphia. 

The first President of the United States, he whose memory we meet to-day to 
honor, the immortal Washington, said of the institution, in which he was proud to 
claim membership: "The gr&.nd object of Masonry is to promote the happiness 



2o8 ^Ibe TlxHasbinGton fIDasonic 

of the human race." When inaugurated as first President, he took the oath of 
office with his hand resting upon a Bible taken from a Masonic Lodge room. This 
Bible is still in the possession of St. John's Lodge No. 1 of New York City. The 
oath of office was administered by Robert R. Livingstone, then Grand Master of 
New York. As Grand Master of Masons, Washington laid the corner-stone of the 
Capitol building in the city that bears his name, September 18th, 1793. 

Lafayette, who did so much in aid of the cause of liberty, and a close personal 
friend of Washington, had taken the obligations of the Fraternity. Acting as 
Grand Master, he laid the corner-stone of Bunker Hill monument, with the cere- 
monies of the Craft, on June 17th. 1S25. Of the institution he said, "that in the 
United States it affords an important pillar of support and union to its free institu- 
tions and happy form of government." 

Thus it can be seen that those who were leaders in the great work of launch- 
ing a new nation, a great Republic, the only real Republic that has ever existed, 
were also the foremost men in the Masonic Fraternity. Wherever great public 
questions have agitated the minds of men. and influences have been arrayed upon 
different sides. Freemasons have been found as advocates of liberty and enlighten- 
ment. They have ever been defenders of public education and the freedom of con- 
science. 

There can be traced also a similarity in the form of the government of the 
United States and that of the Masonic organization. A fundamental principle of 
both is that "All governments derive their just powers from the consent of the 
governed." As another has expressed it, "Both are governed by a written consti- 
tution; both acknowledge the controlling voice of the majority; both admit no offi- 
cial superiors but such as themselves have chosen; both limit the terms of office by 
the previously determined will of the electors. A general and local government 
are common to both. The stranger from every clime may be naturalized and fra- 
ternized in both." 

From whence then came the Ideas, the development of which resulted in the 
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and our form 
of government, if not from the principles and teachings of Masonry? No other 
country or people had attempted to form such a declaration of the rights of man. 
or established such a government. It was not believed at that time that the people 
were capable of governing themselves. The doctrine of divine right of kings was 
acknowledged by the world. It was not believed that the government established 
by the colonies would live. It did live, however, in spite of predictions to the con- 
trary, and we stand to-day as the greatest nation of God-fearing, progressive and 
happy people in the world of nations. 



Centennial flDemorial 209 

Masonry had for many years prior to this time been teaching at her altar the 
same doctrines of the rights of man as are given in our national Constitution. Lib- 
erty, both civil and religious, brotherly love, relief, truth, temperance, fortitude, 
prudence, justice and charity, in its broadest sense had ever been its cardinal prin- 
ciples. What more reasonable to suppose than that the men who had been taught 
these principles at the Masonic altar should make them the political creed of the 
nation? Unconsciously, perhaps, was this done, but the greater credit to their 
Masonic virtue, if so. Without scheme or plan, without aggressiveness or organ- 
ized influence, by its own internal constitution and by its action on its own mem- 
bers, Masonry has always exerted an influence which places it at the head of the 
conservative and progressive forces of civilization. We, who are members of and 
love the institution, flrmly believe that its influence had much to do with the estab- 
lishment of this government. We believe that the same influence is being exerted 
to-day for the betterment of mankind. Were it not for the principles that lie at 
the root of Masonry, the Republic would never have been born, or, when born, could 
not have existed and could not have grown to its present immense proportions. 

Brethren and friends, the past is secure, the story is crystallized in shining 
deed, in glorious achievement, in enduring history. So mote it be. 



LAFAYETTE. 

WASHINGTON MEMORIAL EXEECISES. 

(Picture of Washington) 

Lafayette Lodge No. 91, A. F. and A. M. 

December 14, 1S99. 

Yourself and ladies are cordially invited 

to be present at the 

Washington Memorial Exercises 

to be held in Bauer's Opera House at 

8 p. m., December 14, 1899. 

W. H. BiTTNEE, A. H. ZOOK, 

John Cabruthers, James P. Miller, 
H. E. Burns, Committee. 



2IO ^be TKHasbinGton flDasonic 

LA JUNTA. 

HALL OF EUCLID LODGE NO. G4. A. F. AND A. M. 

La Junta, Colo., December 14, 1899. 

AMERICA, 

My country, 'tis of thee, etc., 

PROGRAMME. 

America By the audience 

Prayer Rev. W. H. Haupt 

Introductory Remarlts J. C. Talliaferro, Worshipful Master 

Music Selected 

Reading — Account of Washington's Last Illness C. A. Beerbohm 

Reading of Letter from Alexandria Lodge, Washington's Lodge 

M. Z. Farwell 

Music — Solo H. E. Clucas 

Address — Early Influence of Masonry Rev. Robert Coltman 

Washington's Farewell Address G. H. Winchell 

Address — Personal Character and Public Services of Washington.... 

P A. Sabin 

Music By the Audience 

HYMN. 
Sung at the Tomb of Washington. 

Dear shade of our brother descend from above, 
And list to our song of affection and love. 
For deep in our hearts doth thy mem'ry abide. 
Thy virtue and goodness our footsteps shall guide. 

When the star of thy country was pale in the heaven, 
When stout hearts were quailing, and weak ones were riven. 
Thou trusted in God, and His arm was thy stay. 
Till burst out of darkness the sunlight of day. 



Centennial flDcmovial 211 

And now — to that Father Almighty — that friend- 
Let praise and thanksgiving, and glory ascend, 
That He Washington gave us and formed him to be 
The savior, the founder, the strength of the free. 

Let the union he founded forever remain. 

Strike powerless that arm which would sever its chain; 

In goodness, In greatness, oh, let it extend. 

Till earth becomes chaos and time has no end. 



LEADVILLE. 

(Portrait of Washington on representation lambskin apron.) 

MEMOEIAL SERVICES 

Commemorating the One Hundredth Anniversary 

of the death, of 

Bkothee George Washington, 

Under the Auspices of the Masonic Fraternity 

of Leadville, Colorado, 

Weston Opera. House, December 14, 

A. L. 5899. 

Eight o'clock P. M. 

War March of the Priests (Mendelssohn) Orchestra 

Introductory Remarks Brother J. L. Wright 

America Sung by the Audience 

Invocation Brother J. H. Henley 

The Holy City (Adams) Robert Slack 

Reading of a Letter from the Master of Alexandria- Washington Lodge 

Brother H. W. Woodward 

Vocal Solo (Mascagni) Miss Anne Jane Hendrie 

Address — Influence of Freemasonry on the Early History of Our Coun- 
try Brother John M, Maxwell 



212 ^bc Masbiiujton flDasonic 

Selection Orchestra 

Piano Solo (a) Second Valse (Godard); (b) March from Tannhauser 

Karl E. Tunberg 

Address — Personal Character and Public Services of George Wash- 
ington Brother L. M. Goddard 

Dark Is the Hour (from Errainie) Robert Slack 

Extracts from Washington's Farewell Address Brother R. D. McLeod 

Vocal Solo — Pierrot (Hutchinson) Miss Anne Jane Hendrie 

Reading — An Account of Washington's Last Illness. .Brother John A. Ewing 
Finale Orchestra 



COMMITTEES. 

Ionic Lodge No. 35: Leadville Lodge No. 51: 

R. A. Cruikshank, W. M. J. L. Wright. W. M. 

I. Q. Hobbs. F. C. Webber. 

R. D. McLeod. A. R. Milks. 

Dan Morrison. F. W. Hurd. 



America — "My country, 'tis of thee," etc. 



ADDRESS BY BROTHER J. M. MAXWELL. 

It is not my purpose to enter upon a metaphysical discussion of the subject 
which has been assigned to me, although a determination of the effect or influence 
of any and all institutions must largely partake of the speculative and uncertain. 

To determine, however, even speculatively, the influence of an institution upon 
any given period of the world's history an intimate knowledge of that institution, 
of its principles, its teachings and its tenets is necessary. 

The time allotted to me will not suffice to place before you all of the principles, 
teachings and tenets of the institution of Freemasonry, and I shall confine myself 
to a presentation of only such matters as are germain to the subject and which 
must, from the very nature of the human heart and intellect, have greatly influ- 
enced the members of the Order in the early days of our nation's history. 

Again, the influence of any institution, whatever its principles may be, largely 
depends upon its membership, whether large or small, devoted or indifferent, influ- 
ential or otherwise. 



Centennial flDemortal 2^ 

Suffice it to say on this latter point that during the last half of the last cen- 
tury the membership of the Masonic Fraternity in this country was in proportion to 
the population. That it was devoted and earnest is evidenced by the large number 
of military Lodges in existence, in addition to the regularly-constituted Lodges in 
the larger towns and cities; and the representative and influential character of its 
membership is shown by the fact that Washington and many of his generals and 
other officers, a large number of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and 
many members of the conventions which formed the Articles of Federation and the 
Constitution of the United States, were devoted and consistent members of the 
Craft. 

What then are the fundamental, underlying and all-pervading principles, 
tenets and teachings of Freemasonry as they have existed from time immemorial, 
were during the early history of our nation, are now, and ever will be? 

When the "Free and Accepted Masons" emerged from "Ancient Craft" 
Masonry, they had nothing to conceal except a few archaic ceremonial forms, their 
signs and tokens of recognition and fellowship, their universal language, and they, 
therefore, cheerfully and without reserve openly declared and published their 
objects, aims and ends, and spread all their charges, constitutions and laws before 
the world, so that they might be read and known of all men. They adopted as 
their watchword and emblazoned on their banner "The Fatherhood of God and the 
Brotherhood of Man." The world stood amazed. Tyrants alone feared and trem- 
bled, as they had long kept the masses of their fellow men in the darkness and ser- 
vility of ignorance. Screening in sinister secrecy their false assumption of author- 
ity, they had lorded it over man and his divine heritage. 

The neophyte in our order, of his own free will and accord, having assumed an 
obligation in no wise conflicting with his duties to his God, his country, his neighbor 
or himself, receives instruction in the three great tenets of a Mason's profession: 

Brotherly love for the whole human family created by one Almighty parent, 
uniting men of all countries, sects and opinions upon the level of equality. 

Relief to the unhappy, the unfortunate and the troubled is a duty particularly 
incumbent upon Masons, linked together as they are by the mystic ties of brother- 
hood. 

Truth, a divine attribute, the foundation of every virtue, is one of the first 
lessons and is made the corner-stone of Masonic life and conduct. 

By a beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by sym- 
bols peculiar to itself, Masonry instils and enforces the sacred duties of temperance, 
fortitude, prudence and justice; of patriotism, loyalty, peaceableness and forbear- 
ance, to seek peace and to assuage the rigors of conflict. 



214 ^l^e ^asbinoton riDasonic 



It inculcates all the mutual duties and obligations of man to man in all the 
relations of life; of the ruler and the ruled, of the high and the lowly; the rich and 
the poor. 

Freemasonry is a system of willing obedience and rightful rule. Order is the 
first law. It is a system of jurisprudence more noble and ennobling than that of 
Roman law and Grecian ethics, in that it Is based upon the essential and inherent 
rights of all men, without qualification or condition, save that he who best works 
and best obeys becomes thereby best fitted to rule and govern his fellowmen. It is 
a comprehensive system of government founded upon the equal rights of man, and 
exercised and enjoyed in the perfection of loyalty, patriotism and humanity. Its 
mission is peace, progress and prosperity to all mankind in equal proportions, de- 
pendent alone upon the worth and deserts of the recipient. 

Not claiming total exemption from the errors and frailties of all things human, 
or the entire absence of unfilial members, Iscariot betrayers, self-seeking pretenders 
or emissaries seeking to destroy, and without pretensions to unattainable perfec- 
tion, it ever and earnestly strives, by increasing the power of education, by stead- 
fastly maintaining the doctrine of equality of man, by teaching loyalty and patriot- 
ism, to accomplish the great and all-pervading object of its existence. 

Based, as it is, upon immutable truth and right, it knows not the changes and 
shifts of expediency and opportunities, but remains unmoved as the rock upon 
which the tempest-tossed waves of ocean beat in vain. It has survived, and will 
survive the commotions, downfalls and disappearances of kings, princes, principali- 
ties and empires, the same yesterday, to-day and forever, as it is founded upon that 
eternal truth, the "Equality of Man." 

It may be objected that these are but the idle boasting of a partisan, the un- 
supported statements and claims of one carried away by his zeal for an institution 
of which he is a member. Let him who doubts the statements or calls in question 
their verity read and study at his leisure the published constitutions, charges, 
morals and dogma of the Order. 

Again, it may be said, that preaching is one thing, practice another, and by 
this test the institution is ready and willing to be judged. It has been written "By 
their fruits ye shall know them." Witness the long list of men, distinguished in 
every walk of life, who have been devoted and consistent members of the Order. 
Witness the history of Great Britain, with its world-encircling empire, from the 
advent therein of the ancient Craft, with the freedom and laws of their guild; from 
the days of Magna Charta; and from the establishment of the Grand Lodges of 
England, Scotland and Ireland. Witness the history of the founding of this great 
Republic prior to and from the Declaration of Independence to the present time. 
Witness, also, like causation, correspondence and outcome, the result in every land 



Centennial fIDemovial 215 

wherein Freemasonry has had, and has a welcome home, a cherished abiding place. 
Witness, too, the thick darlvness pervading all lands wherein Freemasonry does 
not exist, wherein its light does not shine, wherein the moral, social and religious 
equality of man is not recognized. And it follows, as does the night the day, and 
the least observant may know, that the history and future promise of the free and 
enlightened nations of the earth, and the history, progress and beneficent work of 
Freemasonry therein are one and inseparable. 

Briefly outlined, such was the institution of Freemasonry and such its teach- 
ings, as it existed and flourished in this country in the last century. That was a 
momentous age, not only on this hemisphere, but throughout the world. It was an 
age restless as the sea, wave after wave of change, or desire of change, passing 
over it. under the imperious command of some great tidal force. There were vast 
movements in society, in morals and in thought. There were the first sounds of the 
conflict between ancient dynasties and the larger, freer principles that lift hu- 
manity upward in the scale of life in the individual and in the race. Men groping 
in the darkness and almost despair, impelled by an unknown and unrecognized 
force, toward the goal of freedom and equality. It was an age gifted in states- 
manship and brilliant in political science. There were intellectual and moral giants 
in those days; heroes in thought as in war, ready to do and to dare all for what 
their conscience told them was right; the silent hosts that go forth to open the way 
for a better civilization, for national progress, for the elevation of the human race. 

Time will not permit me to enumerate the names of those leaders among men 
in the halls of legislation and the councils of war and upon the battlefield which 
were found upon the rolls of the Craft in this country, but, suffice it to say, that 
from the first name signed to the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, to 
that of the Father of his Country, many, very many of the heroes, statesmen and 
patriots of that period of our Nation's history met within the tiled recesses of the 
Lodge, knelt around a common altar, learned the lessons, imbibed the principles 
and practiced the virtues of an Order whose watchword was "The Fatherhood of 
God and the Brotherhood cf Man," the corner-stone of whose foundation was the 
"Equality of Man." 

As Masons, they knew no sect, no creed, no politics, no South, no North, no 
East, no West. By its obligations they were enjoined to love their whole country; 
to conserve its peace and unity; to magnify the worth of brotherly love, relief, 
truth, justice, patriotism and fortitude; to resist the aggression of the oppressor, to 
incite the people to noble, generous and self-denying deeds; to wage war only as a 
last resort, and for the maintenance and preservation of the equality of man. 

The immortal Declaration of Independence bears eloquent and potent witness 
to the fact that Freemasonry had a controlling influence upon this period of our 



2i6 ^be Hdasbinoton fIDasonic 

nation's history. Its declaration that all men are created equal; that they are en- 
dowed with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit 
of happiness; that governments are instituted to preserve those rights, and that 
governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, was the 
simple enunciation and declaration of those Masonic principles, which were the 
chief foundation stones of the Constitution. 

We do not pretend to claim that these immortal truths were the exclusive 
property of Freemasonry. We do not assert that Masons alone prepared and 
signed the Declaration of Independence, but we do assert and claim, without fear 
of successful contradiction, that every religious institution of that age, that every 
sect, creed and denomination, with a few exceptions, subscribed to and taught the 
doctrine of divine right of kings and the subservience of man to the constituted 
authorities, and that Freemasonry alone, as an institution, taught the "Equality of 
Man." 

Furthermore, the lives of these men, their acts of self-denial, their heroic 
valor during the seven desperate years of struggle for independence, testify most 
eloquently to the influence of the teachings of Freemasonry. Fortitude, that great 
attribute of the Order, was displayed beyond measure by that noble band of 
patriots; that fortitude which is the courage which dares, and the steadfastness 
which follows every object to the end; that fortitude which has always been an 
underlying motive in personal and public greatness. 

The splendid strength of national character, the supreme grandeur of national 
virtue, have grown out of and have been developed by, the lives and deeds of those 
who have pursued truth with this fortitude and made it the shining goal before 
them. 

Justice, one of the brightest jewels of Freemasonry, that power which em- 
braces all the forces of right, morality and truth, and sets forth the dignity of 
order and the supremacy of law, was always a controlling influence with these 
men. 

The patience, that holds its steadfast watch in perplexity, the tireless courage 
that overcomes difficulties, the zeal and love that conquer and win to higher uses, 
the fidelity to principle, that assures moral victories, the faith in God that falters 
not amid confusions which baffle the human understanding, were practiced and dis- 
played in an eminent degree by all those who bore a part in the magnificent strug- 
gle for independence, and who guided the young Ship of State through the troub- 
lous sea of the early formative period of its voyage. 

Such being the principles, teachings and tenets of Freemasonry, such being 
its membership, such the devotion and acts of heroism of its members, can we not 



Centennial fIDemorial 217 

with consistency and force claim that the Institution had a far-reaching, potent and 
incalculable influence upon the early history of our nation? 

But Freemasonry is not given to boasting, nor is it necessary for it to claim 
that to which it is entitled. We cannot impart to you the absolute knowledge 
we have of the influence of Freemasonry upon its members. Such knowledge is 
reserved for those only who have penetrated its mysteries. We know that it con- 
stitutes a great brotherhood of men of many tongues and races, cherishing for each 
other a warm affection, cultivating the sympathies which make the hearts of thou- 
sands beat in unison. We know that it is the advocate and defender, all the world 
over, of free government and liberty of conscience. We know that it stands for 
the equality of man, love of God, country and humanity, and loyalty to government. 
We know that, with a steadfast purpose, it has pursued these objects from time 
immemorial. Knowing these things, we assert that the influence of Freemasonry, 
during the early period of our history as a nation, was for those sublime principles 
set forth in our Declaration of Independence. 

And to-day and for the future, with the influence of over a million American 
Freemasons, the American people, the brave and just people who made the im- 
mortal declaration and who maintained with life and fortune their sacred honor, 
who established our wonderful Constitution, have not changed and will not change 
their character or their principles in the twinkling of an eye under the temptation 
of any base motive of personal advantage or under the excitement of war. They 
are subject, doubtless, as all masses of men are subject, however intelligent or 
however upright, to great waves of emotion, but their sober second thought is to 
be trusted. Their deliberate action will be wise and just, and the islands of the 
sea, which have been cast upon us by the fate of war, will yet rejoice in the bless- 
ings of liberty under the stars and stripes, and the great Republic will remain a 
Republic still. 

ADDRESS BY BROTHER L. M. GODDARD. 

I esteem it an honor, as it certainly is a most pleasurable privilege, to take 
part with you upon this occasion In honoring the memory of George Washington. 
It is peculiarly fitting that the centennial of his death should be commemorated as 
it is to-night throughout the length and breadth of this country, under the auspices 
of an Order of which he was an illustrious member, and the beauty of whose 
tenets and teachings he exemplified in his public career and private life; for no 
man ever displayed the virtue of self-control to such a degree, under trying circum- 
stances, as Washington, or excelled him in the observance of all the other virtues 
that Masonry seeks to inculcate and enforce. 



2i8 Zbc Masbington flDasonic 

However much his numerous biographers may differ as to his merits as a 
general or a statesman, they all concur in according to him the virtues of temper- 
ance, morality, benevolence and incorruptible patriotism, and represent him as one 
whose judgment ever sits enthroned above his impulses. 

There was no savor of chivalry about Washington's leading his tattered and 
half-starved army on those campaigns made memorable by indescribable hardships, 
and leaving the bloody trail of patriot soldiers' unshod feet; there was no appeal 
to fancy in the sufferings of the drenched soldiers crossing the icy waters of the 
Delaware; but far down among our heartstrings, the deeds of such soldiers and 
their dauntless leader clutch us with a hold strong as the passion of our souls or 
hero worship. 

He did not seem to know the sensation of fear. He exposed himself to danger 
and death whenever he deemed his presence necessary, with the same disregard of 
personal danger he manifested in his early campaigns, verifying in his life the 
truth of his favorite quotation from Addison: " 'Tis not in mortal to command 
success." He despised cowardice in others, and always spoke of it with contempt, 
even in an enemy. When the two New England regiments ran away from a small 
party of the British at Kipp's Bay he lost his self-control, their "dastardly be- 
havior," as he characterized it, and riding among them sought to stem the re- 
treat; but finding this of no avail, he wheeled around in front of the enemy, and 
there, like Murat before the Russian battery, stood alone, with the bullets whis- 
tling around him, preferring death rather than life with disgrace. And at Mon- 
mouth, finding Lee retreating, and exasperated with his treachery. General Scott 
says that "he swore like an angel from Heaven." 

He was slow to anger, but when the flood burst its bound it was something ter- 
rible. Headley says: 

"If hi-s impetuosity was great and his passions strong his self control was still 
stronger. Violent passions and ardent feelings are seldom found united with complete 
self-command; but when they are. they form the strongest possible character, for there 
is all the power of clear thought and cool judgment, impelled by the resistless energy 
of feeling. This combination Washington possessed, for in his impetuosity there was 
no foolish rashness, and in his passion no injustice." 

Also speaking of his ability as a military commander, he says; 

"Washington's military genius is sometimes called in question; and although he 
Is allowed a high rank, he is not placed among the first military leaders of his age. 
But he who investigates his career carefully will come to a different conclusion. 
Indeed, anyone can tell where the truth lies, by attempting to put his finger on the 
man wliom he thinks could have carried the country through the Revolutionary struggle 
as quickly, safely and successfully as he did." 

By his successful maneuvers he gained the admiration of the British them- 
selves, who characterized him as the "American Fabius." And Frederick the 



Centennial fiDemorial 219 

Great of Prussia, in presenting him witii his picture, wrote underneath the words: 
"Prom the oldest General in Europe to the greatest General on earth." 

It has become too much the fashion of the age to tear down the old idols, 
and to show them forth as having feet of clay. Homer never existed; William 
Tell was a myth; there was no Shakespeare; the heroes of the Spanish-American 
war never performed those feats of valor that thrilled the world a few short 
months ago; their plumes are drooping and their glorious banners are trailing in 
the dust kicked up by the fickle masses. Yet the Iliad will be a great epic while 
scholars live and human nature endures. William Tell still walks in spirit among 
the sky-piercing mountains of free Switzerland; Shakespeare is immortal as the 
English tongue; and the heroes of our army and navy, who made Santiago and 
Manila famous, will grow in stature "with the process of the suns." 

Perhaps no man who has ranked among the world's heroes has suffered less 
from the iconoclasm of the age than George Washington, upon whom was pro- 
nounced the greatest and tersest eulogy ever spoken of any man: "First in war, 
first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Carpers there are who 
exult because he sometimes tripped in his spelling, but sure it is he spelled the 
words "country," "freedom," "victory," in letters standard for all generations, 
all the way from Monmouth to Yorktown; and the British learned to spell them, 
as they ran. 

Had he not been human, we had never so loved and revered him. The buz- 
zards of this world are ever hovering in their gruesome flight, over the graves of 
the great and gifted, whose virtues will not let them rest, to see if perchance they 
may not blot out some word of honor from their epitaphs. No hero of any age or 
time has held his place on the pedestal where a grateful people have enshrined 
him, with the immovability that George Washington has done. The traitors, 
the miners and sappers who worked during the Revolution to undermine his in- 
fluence, to traduce his character, have passed away with their machinations, leav- 
ing "not a wrack behind," and only small wits of our day essay to sharpen their 
puny weapons upon the little foibles of a great man, who was only human by rea- 
son of them; while his real characteristics are invisible to them by reason of their 
own littleness. 

Yet he is everywhere "our George Washington," a man set apart and only to 
be thought of in connection with that which is ennobling and inspiring. Strength 
and simplicity were his crowning characteristics, and "the elements so mixed in 
him that nature might stand up and say to all the world: This was a man." That 
nobility of structure which we call character was his pre-eminently — an imperish- 
able building, made of all that he was, and had grown to be, in the years of his 
brave and manly being. 



r 



220 ^be Masbinoton flDasonic 

He was a gentleman by birth and breeding; he might violate a rule of gram- 
mar, but never the law of honor; he might shatter the third commandment, on 
provocation, but never the faith of a friend who trusted in him. 

The Father of his Country, like the "great commoner" of Englaind, lacked the 
subtle, charming gift of humor. Though most genial and companionable, he was 
too serious to indulge in the fantastic flights and antics of humor. But his stead- 
fast equability was better to be trusted, in life-long companionship, than the mer- 
curial temperament of one whose witty flights are often made at a friend's ex- 
pense. 

' The keynote of his character was straightforwardness. His statement, "I 
never say a thing of a man that I have the smallest scruple of saying to him," 
might well be engraved in enduring letters on some imperishable shaft where all 
"who run may read." 

Jefferson's description of him is a pleasing one: "His person you know was 
fine; his stature exactly what one would wish; his deportment easy, erect and 
noble." His height was one befitting to so commanding a man, being six feet three. 
The minute details of Washington's personal appearance vary as depicted by dif- 
ferent people, both by pen and pencil; they all concur in giving him an air of real 
distinction, in" which dignity, power, resolution, benignity and a manliness un- 
tainted by any affectation, shone forth pre-eminently. 

His personal courage was great, and it seemed that a providential care 
guarded his life through the manifold perils to which he constantly exposed him- 
self — a life on which it seemed his country's welfare and success depended more 
than upon all others. For Washington to have fallen might have changed the 
history of the Western Hemisphere. 

By perhaps a wise decree of fate, he left no children in whom he might live 
for generations yet to be; for thus he became more pre-eminently "the father of 
his country," the great ancestor of all free men who detest tyranny and abhor 
oppression. Well it was for America that she had at the head of the Revolutionary 
army, to combat that other George, on whose head the crown fitted so closely — 
a George on whose brow Nature had set her own seal of sovereignty; a man whom 
no treachery could dishearten, no adulation spoil, no sophistry blind to the true 
proportions of right and duty. 

V!^ His judgment was dispassionate; his moderation absolutely free from motives 
of fear or favor, of malice or revenge. He did his best for his country, as his con- 
science approved and his reason dictated, and never swerved from the path of 
impartial justice to favor a friend or punish an enemy. 

Jefferson's estimate of his character was an exalted one: 



Centennial flDemorlal 221 

"His integrity was most pure, his justice was tlie most inflexible I iiave even 
known; no motives of interest or of consanguinity, or friendship or hatred being able 
to bias his decision. He was in every sense of the word a wise, a good and a great 
man." 

Tilghman spoke of him as "The honestest man that I believe ever adorned 
nature." 

A man less strongly moved by a reason and judgment susceptible to sugges- 
tions of selfishness or vanity, or mortification if being denounced and misrepre- 
sented, as he so often was, in the cabals and factional quarrels of the Continental 
Congress, in a human desire to justify himself, and to retaliate upon enemies for 
injuries often grievous to be borne — Washington, like the gentle Nazarene, "was 
moved by none of these things." He stood on loftier ground, and almost invaria- 
bly conquered his enemies by the vastness of his magnanimity. 

He was the cynosure to whom all eyes turned for guidance and light, as mari- 
ners on unknown seas turn to their polar star. His countrymen trusted him; no 
sufferings or privations discouraged him; no dangers daunted him; only cowardice 
and time-serving brought forth the fierce anger of his controlled and finely poised 
nature. The aspersions of his enemies he brushed aside as unworthy of his notice 
in the stress of his great and arduous duties, as the lion of the jungle spurns the 
crawling reptiles that cross his path. 

He was a great general, wresting victory from conditions presaging only de- 
feat; a wise President, "whose appointments were made with a view to destroy 
party, not create it," even sacrificing personal preference to the high requirements 
of an uncorrupt and incorruptible administration. He was a citizen honored and 
honorable, lending the prestige of his great career to ennoble and enlarge the 
walks of private life; he was a fond and faithful husband to the wife to whom, on 
his departure, life meant only "waiting for the end." He was the exemplar of all 
ages, showing that a man may be great and yet good; that he may become famous 
without transcendant genius. 

Without any artificial or meretricious acts whereby to command the admiring 
gaze of the world, George Washington, of his own inherent greatness and upright- 
ness, by his ability for all emergencies, his wisdom in direct straits, his incor- 
ruptibility in all the varied offices and situations to which he was called in life, 
stands to-day an uncrowned king among the illustrious men who have glorified this 
world by their presence, and whose sublime shadows lengthen with the increasing 
suns. 

Let me conclude by quoting from that beautiful tribute paid him by the peer- 
less Irish orator, Charles Phillips: 



222 ^be Masbimjton fIDasonic 

A coiiQueror. he was untainted with the crime of blood; a revolutionist, he was 
free from any stain of treason; for agrgresslon commenced the contest, and his country 
called him to the command. Liberty unsheathed his sword, necessity stained, and vic- 
tory returned It. If he had paused here, history might have doubted what station to 
assign him, whether at the head of her citizens or her soldiers, her heroes or patriots. 
But the last glorious act crowned his career, and banishes all hesitation. Who like 
Washington, after having emancipated a hemisphere, resigned his crown and preferred 
the retirement of domestic life to the adoration of a land he might be almost said to 
have created? 

How might we rank thee upon Glory's page 
Thou more than soldier .and just less than sage? 
All thou hast been reflects less fame on thee. 
Far less than all thou hast forborne to be. 



PUEBLO. 



(Portrait of Washington.) 
IN" MEMOEIAM. 



WoESuiPFUL Brother George Washington 



December the fourteenth, 

Seventeen hundred ninety-nine. 

Eighteen hundred ninety-nine. 

Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 

Pueblo Lodge Number Seventeen. 

Soutli Pueblo Lodge Number Thirty-one. 

Silver State Lodge Number Ninety-five. 

Pueblo, Colorado. 

PROGRAMME. 

Most Worshipful Brother George W. Roe, Master of Ceremonies. 

Processional Mrs. Jeannie McGregor-Rettberg 

Prayer Rev. Brother Thomas Stephenson 

Music — America Choir and Audience 



Centennial fIDentorial 223 

Reading a letter from Alexandria-Washington Lodge of which Wash- 
ington was the First Master under its Virginia Charter, which 

Includes an Account of Washington's Masonic Life 

Most Worshipful Brother Cornelius J. Hart 

Music — I Cannot Always Trace the Way (Dow) Masonic Choir 

Reading — Washington's Farewell Address Brother John F. Keating 

Address — The Personal Character and Public Services of Washing- 
ton Brother Michael H. Fitch 

Reading — Account of Washington's Last Illness, from the Diary of 

His Secretary Worshipful Brother James Rankin Strugnell 

Reading a letter from Brother Adna A. Treat, who is one hundred 
and three years of age, and one of the oldest Masons in the 

world Worshipful Brother William W. Cooper 

Music — Doxology Choir and Audience 

Benediction Rev. Brother O. P. Wright 

Recessional. 



THE MASONIC LODGES OE PUEBLO 

Eratemally invite yourself and friends to attend 

the sendees 

Commemorative of the One Hundredth 

Anniversary 

of the death of 

Worshipful Brother George Washington, 

on Thursday evening, December the fourteenth, 

Eighteen hundred ninety-nine, 

at seven forty-five o'clock, 

at the First Presbyterian Church. 



224 ^fJC Masblngton flDasonic 

ADDRESS BY BROTHER M. H. FITCH. 

I. The trend of latter clay biography is toward personality. The public want 
to know, in addition to a man's public services, what manner of human organism 
produces great results in this world. The interests of science and philosophy also 
demand that the personality of eminent men be given in their biographies, along- 
side of their services. Biology, especially that branch of it treating of genesis and 
heredity, together with its connected science, psychology, has been built up as an 
inductive science by bringing together as cause and effect organic peculiarities 
and resulting mentality. This connection in the written lives of great men makes 
possible such truthful generalizations as that "Great mothers have great sons;" 
"Organisms inherit the fixed functional characteristics of their ancestry," and that 
"A man is the organic registration of the predominant traits in the lives of his 
ancestry, back to the beginning of life on the globe." Great advance in anthro- 
pological science must be simultaneous with equally important advance in its 
copious source of inductive facts, the personality of contemporaneous biography. 

n. In the case of General Washington, all his biographers, from Weems, who 
was amongst the first, and whose school history was so universal in my boyhood 
days, down to the elaborate "Life" by Washington Irving, said very little of his 
personal appearance and individuality — in fact, nothing that would be of import- 
ance in formulating any scientific inferences. Weems' ruling idea seems to have 
been to make him a model saint for children to pattern after. He, therefore, 
gave prominence to such fictions as his fervent devotion to religious rites, and the 
tradition of the hatchet and cherry tree. Until within the last few years I think 
Washington was regarded more as an ideal than a real character. Even the nu- 
merous artists who painted his portraits, instead of presenting him in his natural 
hair and every-day clothes and postures, represented him in powdered wig. laces 
and impossible positions. Stewart's bust portrait, from which nearly all the mod- 
ern prints of him are copied, is undoubtedly largely fanciful, with a face more of 
an anthromorphic demi-god than a plain Virginia farmer. Too many writers and 
artists seem to think it necessary to clothe greatness in other garb than the 
homely contour and habiliments of every-day manhood. Washington was a plain 
man, uneducated in books, but endowed with unusual practical common sense. In 
the days of our country's fathers the art of taking sun portraits had not been dis- 
covered. Daguerre had not invented his process called the daguerreotype, fol- 
lowed long after by the present invaluable methods of photography. The latter 
presents the human face and form as it is in nature, except the colorings. One 
good photograph of Washington, as he was in his every-day attire at Mt. Vernon, 
or in his camp at Valley Forge, for the purpose of studying his person, would be 



Centennial flDemorial 225 

worth more than all the portraits ever painted of him. Fortunately, there was a 
life mask taken from his face. I examined this mask, or a copy of it, in one of 
the Eastern art galleries. It was exceedingly interesting. It showed a peculiar 
rigidity of his face, which was undoubtedly the facial correlative of that quality 
which gave so much dignity to his presence. The chin was prominent, the whole 
lower jaw large and finely molded, the characteristic of firmness and persistence. 
His nose was slightly Roman, indicative of executive force. The eyes were very 
large and wide apart, showing breadth of mental vision; the cheek bones large 
and prominent, characteristics of physical endurance; the forehead prominent in 
the lower portion and sloping back, showing him more of a utilitarian than an 
intellectual idealist. We are told that his hair was a deep brown, his complexion 
fair and colorless, his face marked by small pox. His eyes were blue and rather 
dull. He measured six feet three and one-half inches in height, but was large 
boned and exceedingly well muscled, carrying himself, especially on horseback, 
most gracefully. His hands and feet were very large, but not out of proportion. 
Lafayette wrote that he had seen him sitting at table two hours after dinner eating 
nuts. These details are very instructive, because they plainly indicate to the 
student of ethnology the true character of the man. They are infinitely more valu- 
able than the idle repetitions of mere neighborhood traditions by purposeful biog- 
raphers. They indicate a powerful human, not saintly, organism, adapted to 
succeed in any active, manly undertaking. They are the visible signs of strong 
human traits, such as successful warriors habitually display. It is not the make- 
up of a scholar nor a poet, nor a dreamer, nor a philosopher, such as was Ben- 
jamin Franklin; nor of John Adams, who was a lawyer and orator; nor of Thomas 
Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and a learned socialist. 
But it was the organism of a statesman and soldier, who in the troublous times 
of the Revolution was far superior to all of these contemporaries in the practical 
power to grasp and put in operation the statesmanship and militarism necessary to 
the successful separation of the colonies of the mother country. He not only car- 
ried the Revolution to a successful issue, but was a master workman in setting 
up the political machinery, that has needed but little repair for more than a cen- 
tury. 

Washington has now been dead a hundred years. As illustrative of the won- 
derful correlation of his physical and mental powers I give the following ana- 
logues: For sixty-one years after his death the nation looked in vain for another 
built upon the same plan. But the seeking was more or less a blind hunt, princi- 
pally because the people had access In his biographies, not to his personal traits 
and physical and mental organization, but only to his public acts, and to much 
fiction about his supposed ethical and theological opinions. But in 1860, in a hap- 



226 Z\)c miasbtnflton flPagontc ^__ 

hazard way, they stumbled on to the same type of greatness, embodied in the same 
kind of organism, the same height, large boned, less graceful in body and social 
functions, but containing a higher order of pure intellect; one who carried the 
nation through a much larger revolution and more difficult war than the Revolu- 
tion. Not, it is true, like Washington as commander-in-chief in the field; but 
from his office in the Capital City of the country. 

The coincidence of the physical and mental traits of the two greatest men in 
our history shows that there is much more in personality than was dreamed of 
by biographers a hundred years ago. I say that Lincoln had a higher order of 
mere intellect than Washington, but was perhaps not thereby a greater man in the 
common acceptation of the word, for intellect is only a part of mentality. For in- 
stance, to show the difference between the two, it seems to be pretty certain that 
Washington was only nominally the author of his "Farewell Address." Ford, in 
his "True George Washington," says, "First Madison was asked to prepare a 
draft, and from this Washington drew up a paper which he submitted to Hamilton 
and Jay with the request that they put it in proper form." Hamilton made nu- 
merous changes and wrote in the language in which we now have it. He made 
its tone less personal and gave it its style and expression. But Lincoln needed 
no one to revise his Gettysburg address, his Cooper Institute speech, or his second 
Inaugural — papers that will stand beside the "Farewell Address" to the latest 
stroke of time. Another instance: I met in the War of the Rebellion a great and 
most successful General (I think him the greatest military genius of the Civil 
War) who reminded me of the personality of Washington as I had read of him. 
He was perhaps as tall, heavier, and had face and hair very much the same color. 
He was also a Virginian. His manner was grave, his movements slow, but he was 
never unprepared and never taken by surprise. He never lost a battle when he 
had personal control of the entire forces engaged. His name was George H. 
Thomas, but I have called him "the modern George Washington." 

I love to study the personal peculiarities of true men. If the theory of or- 
ganic evolution is correct, then the true character is more or less disclosed in what 
may be called the general make-up, that is, in scientific language, the morphology 
and physiology of the organism. Not only does the shape of the head and the 
physiognomy determine the character, but the shape of the body, the hands, the 
feet, the mouth, ears, nose, as well as the walk, the voice, the texture of the hair, 
every motion of every part of the body; the handwriting, the manner of shaking 
hands; in fact, the aggregate, both structural and functional of the organism, 
makes up character and determines what each particular person must necessarily 
do under any given circumstance all through his life. For instance, Benedict Ar- 
nold, who was an officer under Washington, was perhaps a more intellectual man 



Centennial fIDemorial 227 

than Washington, but not having Washington's general makeup in other respects 
could not have accomplished what Washington did. On the other hand, it was 
impossible for Washington to become a traitor. To use a slang phrase, which at 
the same time has a broad scientific basis, it was because he "was not built that 
way." So that a proper study of a man's physique and differentiation from his 
fellow man is necessary to a proper interpretation of the causes of his successes 

as well as his failures. 

III. Perhaps the predominant trait in Washington was thoroughness. He 
was honest through and through, and brought to the performance of every duty, 
small as well as great, a resolute purpose to do his "level best." His correspond- 
ence, which was very voluminous, and which only lately has been compiled and 
published, was of the most painstaking and laborious character. He did not dic- 
tate to a stenographer, but painfully wrote out every word with his own fingers, 
and with expressions of the most elaborate politeness. His surveys for Lord 
Fairfax, made when a very young man, were most faithfully done. He avoided no 
exposure to the weather and made long journeys into the western wilds, far from 
the comforts of home and the allurements of society, while other more showy 
young men were dawdling away their precious days in the pleasures of society, 
but who are now forgotten. His farming at Mt. Vernon is noted at this day as 
being the best and most successful of his time. He laboriously and most intelli- 
gently mastered every detail of it, making maps of his fields and watching with 
his own eyes the progress of all its operations. He incurred his last sickness 
while riding in a storm to malce his daily inspection. Washington had that love 
of the soil, that rural predelection so characteristic of, and which has given the 
Anglo-Saxon his superiority to other races in the practical affairs of life. The in- 
dependence from patronage and paternalism that accompanies the pursuit of agri- 
culture was next to his physico-psychical organism, perhaps the most potent fac- 
tor in forming his character. John Adams in his speech in the Congress nominat- 
ing him for Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Armies, made a strong point of 
this sturdy independence in Washington. No public honors could wean him from 
his love for the real source of his personal power and independence, the fair acres 
of Mt. Vernon. In the midst of his most arduous campaigns as a soldier, he never 
neglected his farm. He received long reports from his superintendent, and wrote 
him at times as many as sixteen pages of minute instructions covering every detail 
of farming operations. He was eager at the termination of the war to return to 
his favorite pursuit. But mark the result of such sturdy independence. The 
people, while filled with admiration for his military career, were also uncon- 
sciously drawn to him by this and other exhibitions of unselfishness in one who 
might have made himself a pensioner and a dependent on the public treasury. 



228 Zlbe TKHasbinoton HDasonic 



They therefore determined to keep him in their highest service. Honors came 
unsought to him, who had the manhood to turn his back on them. It was his 
manly reliance upon personal effort in the great struggle of life, that made others 
ready to struggle for him. Every duty of his life was faithfully done and thus 
he prepared himself for the next. Therefore, he was equal to every call as it 
came, however great. What would have been laborious and difficult to ordinary 
men, who never did small things well, came easy to him. This trait stood him 
better than college education, of which he had none. While he did not spell well, 
and spoke no language but his own, yet Patrick Henry said of him in the Congress 
of 1774, that "in solid information and sound judgment Col. Washington is unques- 
tionably the greatest man on the floor." History recites his public life, but I like 
best to dwell upon his private character, because his splendid public career was 
made possibly only because of these admirable traits faithfully cultivated in the 
obscurer and earlier half of his career. His home was at Mt. Vernon for forty-six 
years — two-thirds of his life — but he spent only half of these years in the beloved 
quiet of its exquisite surroundings, the other half being devoted to public service 
away from home. The twenty-three domestic years were the happiest of his ma- 
tured manhood. The plain country mansion, still preserved by the munificence 
of the patriotic women of our country in its colonial architecture, as it was when 
Washington trod its floors, was baronial only in its hospitality. Compared with 
the stately homes of old England, it is simplicity itself. But what it lacks in 
magnificence or gilded splendor has been more than made up by the affections 
of the American people, which have settled upon it one perpetual sunshine. 

I turn with reluctance from so fascinating a private character, but something 
more is expected to be said of his public career. Not only the history of his coun- 
try, but the world's history treats copiously of that. So seldom have the centuries 
produced a really great man, that Carlyle in his "Heroes and Hero Worship," re- 
fers to only three really great kings. Napoleon I and Frederick the Great are 
two of these. They were dwarfs, in physical stature, beside the stately Washing- 
ton, and compared with what the latter has done for mankind, their acheivements 
dwindle into insignificance. Washington never fought a battle for conquest, yet he 
wrested a nascent imperial domain from the greatest power of the world, and 
handed it over to his fellow countrymen, for the benefit of themselves and their 
successors in common, in perpetuity; then, like another Cincinnatus, modestly 
retired to his farm, even refusing any compensation except his necessary expenses 
for such great services. But what was worth more to him than gold, the affection 
of the common people of the whole world have enshrined his name for all time. 
But Frederick and Napoleon bestowed the ill-gotten territory and plunder of their 
conquests upon themselves and their families. Napoleon I, who stands in history 



Centennial fIDemorial 229 

as a greater warrior, was conquered by the nation that Washington successfully 
resisted. He died a prisoner of that power, while Washington passed away in the 
peaceful and independent shades of his own home, in the midst of an independent 
people, made free by his own efforts, mourned and beloved by Christendom, includ- 
ing most of those against whom he had so lately fought. EJvery schoolboy knows 
the encyclopedic details of the public services of Washington, therefore, it would 
be mere platitude to recite them here; but I want to mention one significant fact, 
which shows what a dominating power he was in the events then passing. From 
that day in 1775, when under the tree that still stands in Cambridge, Massachu- 
setts, he assumed command of the Colonial Army, by vote of Congress, till the dec- 
laration of peace in 1783, he was always in command and personally directed all 
the movements of the field. When battle reverses came, when his trusted officers 
deserted him, when Congress itself was in doubt whether a change of commanders 
might not be best, he did not lose heart but persevered to the end. He and Green 
and Knox were general ofHcers who began at the beginning and fought without 
wavering to the close. Always at the front, amidst the uncertain fortunes of bat- 
tle, when weaker officers lost their heads, Washington kept his eyes of faith, like 
those of the eagle's to the sun, upon the rising halo of triumph which he believed 
would ultimately fall like a benediction on the superhuman struggle that he and 
his ragged and foot-sore yeomanry were then putting forth. 

His transcendant public services to his own country, looking back across the 
nineteenth century to the results, cannot be extolled too highly. But in what 
splendor of diction can one couch the indirect effects they have had upon the per- 
sonal status of the masses throughout the world, in giving an impetus to the cause 
of Universal Freedom? The French Revolution did not occur until six years after 
the achievement of the American Independence. The two came too close together 
not to have an inspirational connection. Little did Liouis XVI imagine that his 
assistance given so opportunely to Washington in our struggle (not so much, how- 
ever, to assist us as to punish George III ) would so re-act in so few years on his 
own person and throne in the way history records! So, the influence of the public 
services we are now considering has permeated the atmosphere of every monarchy 
in the world for a century, making that atmosphere easier for the oppressed to 
breathe, and slowly corroding the chains that hold monarchial peoples in what was 
before a hopeless bondage. 

In this light, how can we measure the height and depth and breadth of the 
public services of Washington? For it was he, next only to the all-pervading spirit 
of resistance in the small patriotic band of the people, that made our independence 
possible. Had he faltered, or had there been a defect in his organization, failure 
would have undoubtedly come instead of such glorious results. There would have 



230 Zbc Maebinflton flDa0onic 

been darkness instead of the dawn of Freedom. There would have been sunset, 
and not the rising light which will finally fill the whole world. For this restless 
spirit of Freedom, really having its new birth on our shores, has already swept 
monarchy from this continent, and will, in time, do the same in the other. When 
that time comes, in the slow evolution of higher humanity, the paradox that nations 
of strong men as late as the dawn of the twentieth century, allowed themselves 
to be governed and oppressed by crowned tyrants, will be classed with witchcraft 
and human slavery, as one of the delusions that have all through man's history 
sat like "the old man of the sea" on the throne of human reason. 

In this sense, the public services of Washington take rank as almost a new 
force in the evolution of human society. Men of Eastern nations, having before 
them the perpetual apparition of a great Republic, growing up beneath the setting 
sun as the apotheosis of the immortal principles of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, must, in time, conclude that all men should be thus conditioned. That if 
there is any meaning in human existence, then every combination of men should 
be dominated by the will of its members only. That no Divine command has ever 
been given to any man, or set of men, to govern and oppress the remainder. That 
all power, as fundamental law of society, must ultimately be derived from the 
consent of those on whom the power so derived is to be exerted. For — 

"Bequeathed from sire to son. 
Freedom's battle once begun 
Is never lost, but ever won." 



WARD. 

Waed, Colo., December 27, 1S99. 

Ed. C. Pakmelee, Esq., Grand Secretary, A. F. and A. M. : 

Dear Brother — Mt. Audubon Lodge No. 107, at its regular communi- 
cation Poceniber 16, held Memorial Soi"\-ice« in honor of Brother George 
Washington. Addresses were read and six>oehes made and the wishes of 
the Grand Lodge were carried out so far as it was within our power. 

Yours fraternally, 

W. T. McGiNNis, 

Secretary. 



Centennial fiDemortal 231 

WINDSOR. 

A special communication of Windsor Lodge No. 09, A. F. and A. M., 
was held December 14, A. D. 1899, A. L. 5899. The Lodge opened on 
the third degree of Masonry with Brothers George H. Trye, Worshipful 
Master; E. U. Minckwitz, Secretary; S. L. Getshell, Senior Warden; J. H. 
Springer, Junior Warden; T. E. Bonifield, Treasurer; L. Seaton, Senior 
Deacon; M. W. Kennedy, Junior Deacon; C. S. Toole, Tiler, and other 
brethren about the Lodge. 

After the Worshipful Master had announced what the call was made 
for, the Craft was ordered in funeral procession and marched to the 
I. O. O. F. Hall, where the following programme for the observance of 
Washington Centennial Memorial Day was rendered : 

Instrumental Music Miss Ellie Rogers 

Reading of an Account of Washington's Last Illness 

Brother F. B. Bonifield, Treasurer 

Reading of a Personal Letter from the Worshipful Master of Washing- 
ton-Alexandria Lodge, of which Washington Was the First Master 
Under its Virginia Charter Brother S. L. Getshell, Senior Warden 

Reading of a Letter from Brother Adna Adams Treat to the Most Wor- 
shipful Grand Lodge of Colorado 

Brother G. H. Frye, Worshipful Master 

Song by Quartette 

. .Brothers A. Hahn, T. B. Gormeley, W. E. Williams and F. E. Bonifield 
Reading of a Sketch of the Personal Character and Public Services of 

Washington G. H. Frye, Worshipful Master 

Reading of a Portion of "Washington's Farewell Address" 

Brother L. Seaton, Senior Deacon 

Song by Quartette. 



2^2 Hhc Masbington ilDasonic 

After the exercises, the Craft marched back to the Masonic HaH, where 
the Lodge was regularly closed on the third degree of Masonry, peace and 
harmony prevailing. 

E. U. MiNCKWITZ, 

Secretary. 
(Seal) 

Approved December 19, 1899. 

George H. Fete, 

Worshipful Master. 



WRAY. 

Hall of Wkay Lodge No. 71, A. F. and A. M. 

Weay, Colo., December 14, 1899. 

Ed. C. Parmelee, Grand Secretary, Denver, Colo. : 

Dear Sir and Brother — Memorial Services were observed by Wray 
Lodge to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Gen- 
eral George Washington. The brethren assembled in the hall, and from 
there marched to the Methodist Episcopal Church, where an appropriate 
programme was carried out, after which the brethren returned to the Lodge, 
and closed in Ample Form. 

Fraternally yours, 

J. N. Counter, 

Secretary. 



Extracts from Proceedings 
of Grand Lodges 



Centennial flDemorial 235 



Extracts from Proceedings of Grand Lodges. 



Arizona's Review of Colorado. 

The Committee on the Washington Centennial Memorial made their final 
report. This Committee was appointed seven years ago, when this project o!f 
having a Centennial Masonic celebration of the anniversary of the death of Wor- 
shipful Brother George Washington was first broached. The idea originated with 
this Grand Lodge, and it has all the reflected glory of such conception, and the 
Committee says: "The action of this Grand Lodge, in initiating this memorial, 
will long appear in its history as the most beautiful jewel that sparkles in its 
crown." 

Canada. 

In referring to the Washington Memorial Services at Mount Vernon the 
Grand Master says: 

To the Mason and courtly gentleman who was loved by all and whose mem- 
ory we all revere, whose life was so pure that even with us of a different nation- 
ality his virtues and conduct are continually kept before us as worthy of emulation. 



Connecticut's Review of New Jersey. 

The Centennial Memorial of Brother George Washington marked an epoch in 
Masonic history. Its inception in the Centennial State — Colorado — and its culmi- 
nation in the "Old Dominion" were creditable to both. Such tribute to the patriot 
and Brother is worthy of the Fraternity. From far and near were gathered repre- 
sentative brethren to do honor to the memory of the Father of this Country, men 
who had passed the meridian of life, veterans in the cause of Masonry, being in 
the majority. 



236 Zbc TKHasbincjton flDasonic 

Georgia's Review of Vermont. 

The Grand Master and Grand Lecturer O. W. Daley represented Vermont at 
the Washington Memorial Ceremonies. A full and enthusiastic account is given, 
in which the opinion is expressed that "words would be insufficient to indicate the 
significance of this international testimony to the memory of the 'Father of his 
Country,' whose influence as a Mason is still extending, inspiring and uplifting the 
seekers for light." 

Iowa's Review of Colorado. 

The report of the Washington Centennial Memorial Committee is a noble 
document of genuine interest; and the historic value of the volume compiled by the 
Committee, containing the addresses at Mount Vernon, and those before Colorado 
Lodges, together with Memorial Circulars and photographs, is great, and will be 
increasingly so in after years. The seven years of service by that committee were, 
in result, as that of Joseph in Egypt during a like number of years of plenty. 

Kansas' Review of Alabama. 

The Grand Lodge was entertained by Brother W. C. Wheeler, Worshipful Mas- 
ter of Helion Lodge No. 1, the oldest Lodge in that Grand Jurisdiction, by exhibit- 
ing a Masonic apron which was worn by Brother John W. Thompson, late a mem- 
ber of Helion Lodge, at the time when the Marquis de Lafayette visited the Lodge 
and occupied the station of Senior Warden, Brother George Washington presiding 
as Worshipful Master. This apron was tendered to the Grand Master for his use 
at the memorial ceremonies commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the 
death of Worshipful Brother George Washington. 

Kansas' Review of New South Wales. 

Letters were produced from the Grand Lodges of Victoria, South Australia, 
Tasmania and New Zealand, relating to a representation at the Washington Cen- 
tennial Ceremonies. These Grand Lodges had been invited to unite with the 
Grand Lodge of New South Wales and send a personal representative to represent 
them on the occasion of the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the 
death of George Washington. They decided to call upon their respective repre- 
sentatives in America to represent the Grand Lodge and present the necessary 
compliments on that occasion. 



Centennial npemortal 237 

Kentucky's Review of Virginia. 

The Washington Centennial Commemoration has special mention, and large 
praise is given to the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia for the part which 
it toolt in the ceremonies. A lamhskin apron was deposited by Grand Master 
Small, of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, upon the coffin of the illus- 
trious dead. Brother George Washington, during the ceremonies of that interesting 
occasion, and subsequently removed from the coffin at the close of the ceremony. 
On account of the courtesy and kindness of the Grand Lodge of the District and its 
officers, it was suggested by the Grand Master that the apron be placed in the 
midst of an engrossed inscription, setting out the facts of the presentation, signed 
by himself and attested by the Grand Secretary, under seal of the Grand I>odge, 
and handsomely framed in massive oak, should be presented to the Grand Lodge of 
the District of Columbia at its next meeting. 

Maine. 

We feel that it was the most important event in which Masons, as such, have 
ever participated. So far as the outward world is concerned, the occasion gave a 
tremendous impulse to patriotism and veneration for the men who enrolled our 
country among the nations of the earth, and laid the foundations for government 
by the people, and especially for him, who now, more than ever before, is hailed as 
the "Father of our Country." 

Maine's Review of Colorado. 

He (Burnand) gives a brief account of the Washington Centennial, speaking 
in very modest terms of the excellent address he delivered upon that occasion. 

It will be remembered that the idea of commemorating this occasion was 
originated in the Grand Lodge of Colorado, and we believe by Past Grand Master 
Roger W. Woodbury, and the thanks of the Fraternity everywhere are due to 
Brother Woodbury and the Colorado brethren for the manner in which they aided 
in carrying out the plan originated by them. 

The committee having charge of the matter made a report also, giving a very 
brief statement of what was done, and stating that the matter had been incor- 
porated in a volume, made up, as we judge, like a scrap book. But we note that 
the matter of publishing the full Memorial was referred to a committee with power 
to have it published when a sufficient number of subscriptions should have been 
received. This is the first that we have noticed the matter, and we do not know 
whether the plan has been carried out. 



238 ^be Maebington flDasontc 

Maine's Review of Iowa. 

Referring to the Washington Centennial, he says that a concise history of the 
Masonic life and services of Washington was published in the library bulletin for 
November, 1899, and he issued an edict setting apart the 14th of December for Me- 
morial Services, and while he himself went to Mount Vernon to attend there, a 
large number of Lodges observed the day. He says that "no occasion of Masonic 
import was ever so very generally observed by the Craft in that jurisdiction than 
was the Centennial Anniversary of the death of our beloved Brother George Wash- 
ington." Of the centennial itself, he says: "Grand in its conception and suc- 
cessfully executed, the ceremonies at Mount Vernon on the 14th of December last 
stand without a parallel in the Masonic history of America, or in the world." 



Maine's Review of Missouri. 

The Grand Master attended the Washington Memorial Services, and speaks of 
it In high terms, concluding as follows: 

"Concerning the appropriateness of such a service one hundred years after 
the death of Washington, there seemed to be only one opinion. Probably nothing 
in the history of our land has done more to place Freemasonry in its proper light 
before the American people as an institution which had so much to do with our be- 
ginning as a nation, and which is so closely interwoven with all that is best in 
American citizenship. The devotion of such a man as George Washington to 
Freemasonry for a period of seven and forty years is as good an answer as need 
be made to all cavilings that can be urged against our Order, and the Washington 
Memorial Service of last December, heralded so widely and reported so fully by 
the press, is worth vastly more to our Fraternity than all it cost In money, time 
and labor. Of the thousands of Masons who participated in those ceremonies there 
was not one whose devotions to the principles of our institutions was not quick- 
ened and whose spirit did not exult within him as he said, 'I, too, am a Free- 
mason.' " 

Maine's Review of Nebraska. 

He refers to the Washington Centennial Exercises, and does us the honor of 
giving, in his annual address, the greeting which we sent to the brethren of his 
jurisdiction. We think that almost everyone who was present was affected as he 
thus describes that he was: 



Centennial flDcmortal 2^ 

"As I stood that gray December day on that beautiful eminence which over- 
looks the broad Potomac and many historic spots hallowed with patriotic and fra- 
ternal blood, and listened to the last President of the United States, a Freemason, 
voice the affection and veneration of a mighty nation for the first President of the 
United States, also a Freemason, and one of the sublimest characters in all his- 
tory, my bosom swelled with love and pride for ancient Craft Masonry, and I left 
the sacred place with a clearer and profounder conception than I ever had before 
of the power, grandeur, beauty and beneficence of our beloved institution." 

Maine's Review of New Mexico. 

The Grand Master gives an extract from the report of his representative at 
the Washington Centennial, in which that Brother says: "These memorial ser- 
vices, in my opinion, were not only a grand demonstration to the world of the love 
and reverence of Masons generally for the name and memory of George Washing- 
ton, but will result in great good for our Craft, as well as the world at large, in 
that many will be thereby inspired with better and higher ideals, and with greater 
respect and reverence for the institution of Freemasonry." 



Maryland's Review of Virginia. 

According to the suggestions made a few years since by the Grand Lodge of 
Colorado, the Grand Lodge of Virginia invited the representatives of all the Grand 
Lodges in the world to assemble with it in the observance of the 100th anniversary 
of the death of our illustrious Brother George Washington. Immediately after the 
opening of the Grand Lodge the distinguished representatives present were re- 
ceived and welcomed. Nearly thirty-two pages of the proceedings are occupied by 
the speeches of welcome and the responses on the occasion. 



Montana's Review of Colorado. 

The Washington Memorial Observance, first suggested by Colorado, occupied 
much attention, and when Virginia asked further financial aid, a hundred Colorado 
Brethren subscribed $10 each. The event has since transpired and we have read 
the addresses and transactions with much interest. As Masons as well as citi- 
zens we cannot too often or too much recall the example and services of Washing- 
ton. Many of our Lodges held Memorial Services. In spite of the fact that many 
of the fathers of our nation were members of the Fraternity our country witnessed 



240 Itbe Masbiiiflton fiDasonic 



later an anti-Masonic crusade, such as the Pope with all his pretended autho'rity 
has not been able to arouse in this era of light and more general intelligence. Some 
of the difference is partly due to greater publicity of Masonic transactions and more 
still perhaps that its efforts are more directed to practical charity. "By their deeds 
ye shall know them." 

Montana's Review of Utah. 

The Grand Master and Grand Secretary attended Washington Memorial Ser- 
vices, and speak enthusiastically of the ceremonies and attentions received. Very 
generally in the Utah Lodges the occasion was observed at home in ample form. 

Nebraska's Review of Maryland. 

The Grand Master reported that he and his Grand Lodge took a prominent 
part and place in the Centennial at Mount Vernon, December 14th, 1899. It was an 
honor, he said, of which he gladly availed himself. The occasion was largely ob- 
served throughout Maryland by those who did not go to Mount Vernon. 

Nevada's Review of New Brunswick. 

It is well to contemplate what this Masonic demonstration teaches, that the 
virtues of the distinguished Mason are more permanent than political or military 
power. 

New Brunswick. 

The one hundredth anniversary of the death of Worshipful Brother George 
Washington was a red-letter day in the Masonic calendar of our Brethren in the 
United States. In his native State, Virginia, the celebration assumed somewhat of 
a national character. Your Grand Master was most cordially invited to be present 
and take part, but was unable to accept, which he sincerely regrets. It is well to 
contemplate what this Masonic demonstration teaches, that the virtues of the dis- 
tinguished Mason are more permanent than political or military power. 

South Carolina's Review of Pennsylvania. 

The Washington Centennial was unique in character; there has been, there 
will be no parallel case to fit it; it was a grand Masonic demonstration. It seems 
to us that on that one peculiar occasion the Pennsylvania traditions would have 
been "more honored in the breach than in the observance." 



Centennial flDemorial 241 

South Dakota. 

"The most notable event of the Masonic year has been the Washington Memo- 
rial Observance, a gathering of distinguished and other Freemasons to the number 
of thousands at Mount Vernon, in Virginia, the home of George Washington, the 
Father of his Country, and the Brother of Masons, to commemorate his virtues and 
his heroic life, and to testify in the strongest and most solemn manner possible to 
the great reverence and veneration we have for his memory. Colorado first pro- 
posed this "Observance," to take place on the one hundredth anniversary of the 
death of our venerated Brother. It was carried out by the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 
The expense of the celebration was contributed to by nearly all American Grand 
Lodges, and representatives were commissioned to attend from many Grand Lodges 
from the world over, our Canadian and Australian brethren evincing the greatest 
interest in its successful execution. Famous military bands discoursed touching 
and thrilling music, cannon boomed the solemn funeral salute, volleys were dis- 
charged by the Marine brigade, while ten thousand people thronged to aid the 
pageant. Grand ceremonies by Grand Masters of Masons imparted dignity. The 
beautiful funeral rites were repeated. The President of the United States, Brother 
William McKinley, himself a Virginia-made Mason, in simple, touching words, paid 
eloquent tribute to the memory of that grand soul, whose example shows that "to 
be truly great one must be truly good." Hearts swelled to suffocation, all eyes 
were filled with tears, and our Brethren turned homeward, richer and better and 
happier far because of that great experience." 



South Dakota's Review of British Columbia. 

The Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master attended Washington Memorial 
observance in a Washington Lodge, where the English and American flags were 
draped together. This pleased them very much. 



South Dakota's Review of Colorado. 

Most Worshipful Brother Todd presented the lambskin apron, properly in- 
scribed, that was worn by Grand Master Burnand at the Washington Centennial 
Memorial Exercises at Mount Vernon. The Grand Lodge returned thanks. 
It will be remembered that the Washington Centennial Memorial celebration had 
its origin in the Grand Lodge of Colorado. It culminated in a great national event. 



242 Cbe Masbinoton flDasonic 

and our brethren in Colorado may well feel proud of it. The final report of the 
Committee is interesting, and it is contemplated to incorporate all addresses, etc., 
into a volume. Such an one will have great historic value. Resolutions of thanks 
to the Committee were adopted by the Grand Lodge. The Chairman of the Com- 
mittee then presented to the Grand Lodge a cane, inscribed as follows: 

ROGER WILLIAMS WOODBURY. 

Presented by the Ladies' Sewing Guild of Christ Church, 

Alexandria, Va., December 14, '99. 

From the Wood of an Old Forest Troo. which Grew in the Yard of 

WASHINGTON'S CHURCH. 

And asked that it be placed in the custody of the Grand Secretary and carefully 
preserved, and that on the occasion of the Washington Memorial Services one hun- 
dred years hence it be carried by the then Grand Master of Colorado. The caiie 
was accepted by a unanimous vote, and the Grand Secretary directed to have a 
plate attached, setting forth its presentation by Right Worshipful Brother Wood- 
bury. The inscription is as follows: "Presented by R. W. Woodbury to the Grand 
Lodge of Colorado, September, 1900, with request that it be carried by the Grand 
Master at Washington Memorial Exercises in 1999. Accepted by the Grand Lodge 
and the plate attached." 

South Dakota's Review of New Hampshire. 

Although this Communication was held for the purpose of exemplifying the 
work, the Grand Master gave a very interesting and entertaining account of his 
visit to Virginia on the one hundredth anniversary of the death of Brother George 
Washington. From it we learn that John Sullivan, first Governor of the State, and 
first Grand Master of New Hampshire Masons, was the first to begin activity in the 
Revolution by organizing a force and capturing Fort William and Mary, December 
13, 1774. The same John Sullivan commanded the right wing at the battles of 
Trenton and Brandywine, and also defeated the British at Germantown, a Masonic 
ancestor of whom our Brother was justly proud. 



Centennial flDemorial 243 



South Dakota's Review of Nova Scotia. 

An interesting account of the Grand Master's visit to Washington to attend 
the Memorial Observance is given, in which he expresses much pleasure enjoyed 
from the hospitality of the Masons there. He says: "To me the scene and occa- 
sion of that moment were thrilling, surrounded, as I was, by all that was truly rep- 
resentative of our great Craft, and connected, as the event was, with the history 
of a nation." 

Tennessee. 

"My love for Masonry and patriotism for my country arose to the highest 
point. To sum up the whole, it was inspiring from the beginning to the close of 
the grand ceremony." 

Virginia's Review of Colorado. 

In order to guarantee the appropriation of an extra thousand dollars asked 
for by our Centennial Committee, in view of the fact that the movement was, in its 
inception, Colorado's, and for fear the Grand Lodge would not vote the appropria- 
tion, one hundred Masons pledged ?10 each. The roll of honor appears on page 80, 
but the Grand Lodge met the issue, as Colorado might have been expected to do. 



244 



^be Masbinoton flDasonic 



Conclusion. 

Denver, July, 1903. 

In closing this volume a few words seem necessary by reason of nn- 
forseen circumstances. The mind which conceived the idea of tliese exer- 
cises, and whose programme from inception to conclusion was practically 
carried out, not only in Colorado, but at Mount Vernon, was that of Roger 
Williams Woodbury, Past Grand Master of Colorado. Not only was it 
his mind to plan, but his hands to do, the consequent work. This Memo- 
rial Volume was entirely prepared by him, the copy all in the hands of the 
printer and a part of the proof read, when, without warning,"in the twink- 
ling of an eye," he was taken to his long home July llth, 1903. 

The completion of the work consequently fell upon the remaining 
members of the committee, who finished the task as well as circumstances 
permitted, handicapped by their grief at the sudden taking away of their 
chairman, friend and brother. Much could be said of tlie character of 
Brother Woodbury, which, however, would not properly belong in this 
volume. 

We take this opportunity of returning our thanks to Right Worshipful 
Brother Edgar A. Tennis, Grand Master F. & A. Masons in Pennsylvania, 
for his courteous and fraternal action in permitting us to use the Gilbert 
Stuart "Washington," which is the frontispiece of this volume, the steel 
plate being the property of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the ]>ortrait 
being considered one of the finest extant. 

This volume is now submitted to the Ma- 
sonic world in the belief that it has clearly 
told of tlie most interesting, impressive and 
im]x>rtant Masonic event of the last century. 

William D. Todd, 

For the Committee. 



Grand Secretary. 




%^k^ 89 



